Entrepreneur Middle East Sept14

SEPTEMBER 2014 ENTREPRENEUR 1
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PROPERTY PUNDITS
REAL ESTATE TREPS
[
THE HOW-TO
]
TAKE PART IN THE
ESTABLISHING
GLOBAL
TRADE RELATIONS
DUBAI CUSTOMS DIRECTOR
H.E. AHMED MAHBOOB MUSABIH
FIVE STEPS TO START
PITCHING LIKE A PRO
ITS TIME TO REEVALUATE
FUNDING FACTS
SIX PILLARS OF BUILDING

YOUR INTEGRITY
SECOND THOUGHTS ON
VENTURE CAPITAL
REPUTATION IS THE
FOUNDATION OF BUSINESS
SOLVENCY
JOHN MULLINS
BATTER UP
MAHA ABOUELENEIN
RISK, REWARD AND
SERVICING YOUR PASSIONS
I LEFT GOOGLE TO
BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
I LEFT GOOGLE TO
BECOME AN ENTREPRENEUR
GCCS
BUILDING
SEPTEMBER 2014 ENTREPRENEUR 3 ENTREPRENEUR SEPTEMBER 2014 2
16 Opportunities and
regulations for GCC cross
border business
30 Sony slims
down portable data
storage
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2014
16
INNOVATORS:
ITS CUSTOMARY
Fighting organized crime
with tech, encouraging
entrepreneurship, and
establishing global trade
relations
Dubai Customs Director
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob
Musabih discusses
opportunities and
regulations for doing GCC
cross border business.

66
PROPERTY PUNDITS
REAL ESTATE
ENTREPRENEURS
The how-to: Take your
frst steps forward, its
time to take part in the
GCC building boom.
Property can make you
money- even if you only
want to make partial
investments and not
become a full-fedged
part of the industry.
30
TECH:
SHINY
#TamTalksTech
Gadgets and doodads
that you mightve
missed out on, sourced
by a tech afcionado.
Yes, its okay to want
them all and no, its
not our fault.
31
ONLINE TREP
Virality personifed
Nicki Minaj is one heck
of a self-promoter.
Shes neck and neck
with Miley Cyrus, and
they both have a killer
social media presence,
but they come with an
R rating.
86
THE FIX
Your SME has its head
in the clouds
Cloud computing
services are your new
best friend, and getting
served locally is better
than internationally.
We talk to dus CCO to
fnd out why.
66 Real estate
entrepreneurs: The how-to
29
CULTURE:
LIFE
Health and welfare pays
for itself
Investing in the
wellness of your staf
increases staf morale
and productivity, and
guess what? Emotional
contagion rules dictates
that good feelings
spread in the ofce.
28
TRAVEL
Eating on the fy
Always on the move?
Shoug Al Nafsi discusses
nutrition for terminal-
weary treps, and gives
you some easy to follow
guidelines for travel
meal-planning.
32
TRAPPINGS
Trep gear
May Rostom helps you
dress for success. For the
corporate overachiever
on your list (or even
a little self-reward),
get the new range by
Porsche Design for her or
Chanels new fragrance
for him.
52
DESIGN
Entrepreneur Marianna
Boguslavsky talks about
how fnding the right
help to re-interpret her
companys visual identity
made all the diference.
80
START IT UP:
WACKY IDEA
I just wanna feel real love
KSA social networking
app Feelit wants to help
you express yourself, and
theyre gaining ground
pretty quickly!
78
Q + A
PayTabs is e-commerce
for all
Abdulaziz Aljouf enters
the competition for
MENAs optimal online
payment solution.
82
MONEY:
VC VIEWPOINT
Second thoughts on
venture capital
John Mullins, Associate
Professor of Management
Practice in Marketing
and Entrepreneurship at
London Business School,
wants you to reconsider
the established ideas
about VC.
88
Q + A
Its your Dubai
Emirati trep Rashid
Alahmedi talks about
getting his MyDubai
startup of of the ground,
and what sort of help
Tejar Dubai can give you.
53 Apple is going on a fashion-recruitment spree
80 KSA social networking app Feelit
wants to help you express yourself
82 John Mullins:
Second thoughts on
venture capital
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2014
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CONTENTS
SEPTEMBER 2014
14
EDITORS NOTE
By Fida Z. Chaaban
34
TREPONOMICS:
ESQUIRE GUY
The politics of asking for
favors
Ross McCammon
tells you what the
best way to go about
asking for a little back
scratching is, and how
to avoid any unintended
consequences.
36
SKILLSET
From Messi to Mickey
Entrepreneur Ali
Haidary discusses the
marriage between sports
and entertainment, and
whats hes gleaned on
his upward climb.
40
ETHICS
CSR, ethics and integrity
in the Middle East
enterprise space
Bayt.coms research
indicates that laying
the foundations for
a sustainable future
requires all this and
more. See what VP
Suhail Al-Masri has to
say about the matter.
44
SKILLSET
Stop procrastinating
Olympian and author
James Clear has a nify
trick for you to kick
the procrastination
habit, and its literally
a two-minute exercise.
Try it now and see what
happens.
48
ASK A PRO
Reputation is the
foundation of business
solvency
Mark Sephton tackles
the six pillars of building
your integrity. Start by
doing the smallest of
small things right, and
the rest is easy.
64
MARKETING
PR-media relationships
Doing a few things
diferently will help
Youmna Chagoury help
you get your clients the
press coverage that they
deserve.
36 Entrepreneur play by their own rules:
FromMessi to Mickey
64 The ties that bind:
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In-house photography Mohammad Sajjad. Images used in Entrepreneur Middle East
are credited when necessary. Attributed use of copyrighted images with permission.
All images not credited otherwise Shutterstock.
Suhail Al-Masri
Ross McCammon
Shoug Al Nafsi
Octavia Nasr
Rani Nasr
May Rostom
Mark Sephton
Juris Ulmanis
Erika Widen
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Weve gotten tons of pictures via Twitter and Instagram, and here are a
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tweet an image our way or tag us on Instagram. All of our reader images
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see our readers interact with us across all mediums- and we talk back!
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Business efcacy...
in real-time
Its not social media if you dont talk back
SHARING
ECONOMY?
YES,
AND ITS
FULLY
ORGANIC!
EDITORS NOTE
D
id your mind automatically see
Clear and Present Danger? I
did mean prescient, and Ill get
to the popular flm title a bit later.
It is a very necessary part of any
budding enterprise that you at least
try to predict future weaknesses
and plan ahead. Yes, youve done so
fnancially, and yes, youve probably
laid out a stafng plan for when
you decide to expand. But have you
thought ahead in terms of reputa-
tion management, digital penetra-
tion or legal liabilities? These areas
(and more) ofen go unnoticed by
fresh entrepreneurs, only for an
early misstep to come back and
haunt them later. An integral part
of being ahead of the game really
means being ahead of the game.
Things like belatedly building a
website or putting of your brands
foray into social media for another
six months- these are ways to cre-
ate more work for later, and that
ofen means it will cost you more
as well. The longer you delay to ad-
dress a potential exploitable Achil-
les Heel, the more intensive the
reparative work becomes when that
faw fnally surfaces. If youre con-
sidering this from an unexplored
avenues perspective, its a clear cut
case of opportunity cost. If I had
done this two years ago, wed be
much better of now. Yes, indeed.
Weve been fortunate to have
some amazing entrepreneurs opine
in the MENA editions of this pub-
lication. A few of them have dis-
cussed preventative measures, and
a few have mentioned an instance
describing an early lack of foresight
costing them a lot fnancially once
theyd reached their goal state
and realized what was missing.
Its pretty great to hear, especially
since it can prevent scores of busi-
nesspeople from overlooking those
same details. I do actually put these
measures to work- its not all talk.
Ive stressed on the importance of
a clean digital footprint time and
time again, and this is something
I heavily monitor for my own
personal social media accounts, the
magazines, and even members of
our board. I do try and predict
things that could potentially act as
a future liability, and I try to nip
these things in the bud before they
can take on a life of their own and
cause havoc.
If you have a hindsight-is-20/20
type story or you have ideas on be-
ing market and industry-prescient,
please do write
to me. Id love to
share your ideas
with the regions
entrepreneurs.
As an aside, for
those of you who
processed my title
as the blockbuster
flm title, its a sort
of Typoglycemia-
thats an internet hybrid buzzword
(not a clinical term) used to explain
your brain making the necessary
jumps to facilitate the understand-
ing of language. Even editors need
to have some fun.
Clear and prescient danger
The pervasiveness of prevention-themed advice is not a coincidence
Fida Z. Chaaban
Editor in Chief
@fda
[email protected]
UNIVERSITY CITY OF SHARJAH
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
+971 6 5441155
[email protected]
WITH MAJORS IN WITH EMPHASIS ON
INNOVATORS
FIGHTING ORGANIZED CRIME WITH TECH,
ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURSHIP, AND
ESTABLISHING GLOBAL
TRADE RELATIONS
OPPORTUNITIES AND REGULATIONS FOR GCC CROSS BORDER BUSINESS
DUBAI CUSTOMS DIRECTOR
H.E. AHMED MAHBOOB MUSABIH
A
head of Global Trade Development Week 2014, we spoke to H.E. Ahmed
Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs (DC) about the implications
the event has for SMEs in the region, and entrepreneurship as a whole.
This years summit will be staged under the theme of Global Customs and
Trade Facilitation at Emirates Towers in Dubai, UAE from October 27 to 29.
Held under the patronage of H.E. Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, UAE Ministry
of Economy, the event will welcome business and government fgures from
over 80 nations, and over 600 global trade, development, economic zone, trade
fnance, development of industry, and real estate individuals. >>>
as Dubais non-oil foreign trade scaled
a new peak in 2013 to hit Dh1.329
trillion with a Dh94 billion growth
compared to Dh1.235 trillion scored
in 2012. Another major milestone for
Dubai Customs was organizing and
hosting the WCO IT Conference and
Exhibition 2013. Hosted for the frst
time in the Middle East, the confer-
ence was held under the patronage
of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice-
President, Prime Minister and Ruler
of Dubai. It presented a global forum
that brought together customs admin-
istrations and border agencies from
around the world to better coordinate
their eforts in trade facilitation,
border protection and safeguarding
communities.
As far as technology development is
concerned, DC devised Al Kashif [The
Detector] vehicle, which is a mini golf
cart that smoothly moves between
passengers and helps in the detection
of 16 prohibited items in passengers
luggage without much fuss. Its
equipped to carry out drug analysis
in just seven minutes- a process that
formerly took seven days. Al Kashif
quickly proved its efciency and ef-
fectiveness in detecting illicit imports.
Over its frst month of service, the
new invention helped our inspectors
deter the smuggling of many unlawful
imports in 15 diferent seizures. The
development bagged the Innova-
tive Idea Award at the 2013-2014
DGEP 17th edition. In addition, our
advanced container scanning system
recently claimed the DGEPs Distin-
guished Technological/Technical Proj-
ect Award. Its the latest world-class
integrated system for containers and
trucks X-ray screening. The device is
capable of scanning the contents of
150 trucks per hour moving at 8 to 15
km/hour.
WHAT DO SEE AS THE BIGGEST
SECURITY ISSUE IN TERMS OF
CUSTOMS AND IMPORT PRODUCTS?
The way DC sees security issues is
diferent than the way they are seen
by other authorities. DC takes into
utmost consideration any security
menace as it is one of the main agen-
cies that are entrusted with the
national, economic and social security
of the country. Today, we are liv-
ing in a fast-changing world where
trade and transportation modes have
developed dramatically. Also, the UAE
is geographically located at the cross-
road and connecting point between
East and West, thanks to its advanced
infrastructure. The biggest security
issue for Dubai Customs resides in the
control of dual-use items to impede
their export to certain states and or-
ganizations that may utilize them for
evil purposes. Moreover, we should
not forget the dangers of smuggling
drugs whether natural or
synthetic which are ofen linked to
organized crime. However, all such
issues can be surmounted in the most
efcient way through cooperation
and concerted eforts of all concerned
parties.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT WILL BE
THE BENEFITS OF GLOBAL TRADE
DEVELOPMENT WEEK FOR THE UAE
BUSINESS COMMUNITY?
Global Trade Development Week
brings to Dubai 600 government
and business leaders from over 80
countries to discuss and fnd solu-
tions for todays most challenging
trade and development issues.
This event presents an excellent
opportunity for the UAE business
community. The basis of this event is
that international trade is an engine
of growth and a source of strength for
the global economy, a belief that is
no doubt also held by the UAEs busi-
ness community. Were proud to have
worked with the organizers of Global
Trade Development Week to launch a
new summit especially dedicated to
customs and trade facilitation issues
at this years event. The agenda of this
interactive summit will focus on the
INNOVATORS
HAVE THERE BEEN
ANY SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES
IN THE REGULATIONS IN TERMS
OF CORPORATE IMPORTS AND
EXPORTS? HOW WILL THESE
CHANGES AFFECT SMES OPERATING
IN THIS SECTOR?
Once the requirements for the fnal-
stage implementation of GCC Customs
Union are completed, unifed customs
procedures will be applied to all GCC
countries to regulate the importa-
tion and exportation of goods from/
to the six nations. SMEs are among
the businesses that will surely ben-
eft from the implementation of the
customs union. Customs duties for
exported goods will be collected only
once at the frst customs port of entry
to be crossed by such goods within
the customs union area. So this will
ensure a secure, fast and efcient fow
of goods into the markets.
HOW DOES DC ENCOURAGE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP? DO YOU FEEL
THAT EXISTING DUBAI CUSTOMS
REGULATIONS ARE GOOD FOR
BUSINESS GROWTH?
DC is keen on developing efcient
communication channels and
establishing solid ties with its stra-
tegic partners. Through its advisory
council, the department seeks to
actively cooperate and coordinate
with various trade and business sec-
tors in Dubai. Our advisory council
organizes regular meetings for the
leadership team at DC with more
than 18 business clusters represent-
ing Dubais major industry sectors.
[These meetings] are aimed at putting
forward new projects, action plans
and programs through which we can
support and promote entrepreneur-
ship. Indeed, current laws are lenient
and all services are available online
around the clock, which led the UAE
to be ranked fourth globally in Trad-
ing Across Borders, as per the World
Banks Doing Business report 2014.
WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS THE BIGGEST
MOVE FORWARD THAT DC HAS
MADE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS?
DC made a number of notable
achievements in the past two years
in various areas. Perhaps the most
prominent of which is transforming
into the frst fully smart government
department, delivering our services
on mobile phones to customers non-
stop 24/7 wherever they are. DC
developed an integrated services
platform, which not only features
request submission facility, but also
ensures the submitted request is pro-
cessed immediately afer submission.
The system also notifes applicants
by email that their requests are
being processed and the timeframe
required until they receive the service
requested.
In respect to trade, Dubai Customs
made another remarkable milestone,
Dubais Top Trading Partners in H1 2014
Major Commodities Traded Across Dubai in H1 2014
ENTREPRENEUR SEPTEMBER 2014 20
Dubai Customs Director
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob
Musabih
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Dubai Customs container
scanning system won
the Dubai Government
Excellence Program (DGEP)
award for Distinguished
Technological/Technical
Project Award.
The container scanning
system is capable of
scanning the contents of
150 trucks per hour moving
at eight to 15 km/hour.
Trading across borders is easiest in the UAE, ranking fourth globally- an impres-
sive measure, according to the annual Doing Business report co-published by
The World Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The UAE only
requires three documents to export, with regional competitors Saudi Arabia
and Qatar requiring fve. Lebanon and Tunisia require less than the former two
with only four documents. It also takes the least amount of time to export in the
UAE, requiring only seven days, as opposed to 11 in Bahrain, 10 in Oman, and 17
in Qatar. That said, cost is a factor since it isnt the cheapest to export from the
UAE, costing US$655 dollars/container. Its actually less expensive in Egypt and
Morocco, costing $625 and $595 dollars respectively.
H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih
Director, Dubai Customs, UAE
Aline Planon
Medical Product Counterfeiting and
Pharmaceutical Crime Sub-Director,
Interpol
Dr. Ashraf Ali Mahate
Head of Export Market Intelligence,
Dubai Exports, UAE
Charles Barber
Director of Trade Compliance,
Kuehne + Nagel
David Phillips
Vice President, International
Federation of Freight Forwarders
Associations (FIATA), UAE
Dr. Herbert Oberhaensli
Vice President Economics &
International Relations, Nestl SA
James Lockett
Vice President, Head of Trade
Facilitation and Market Access,
Huawei
Professor David Widdowson
President, International Network
of Customs Universities
Joel Waterman
Regional Director, Business Analytics
Division, Middle East, Pakistan,
Turkey & Africa, IBM
Keith Stronach
Head of Export Control Compliance,
BAE Systems, Saudi Arabia
Kenneth Bagamuhunda
Director, Customs EAC, East African
Customs (EAC)
Dr. Lucian Cernat
Chief Trade Economist,
European Commission
Mahmood Al Bastaki
Chief Executive Offcer, Dubai Trade,
UAE
Minna Herranen
Head of Trade Management
MEA & India, GOPS, Global Trade
Management, Nokia Solutions and
Networks (NSN)
UAE RANKS FOURTH FOR CROSS BORDER TRADING
BORDER CONTROL
GLOBAL TRADE
DEVELOPMENT WEEK 2014
CONFIRMED PANEL
INNOVATORS
role of customs in enhancing interna-
tional competitiveness, and fnding
the right balance between efective
control measures and the facilitation
of trade. An agenda that discusses the
facilitation of international trade and
the reduction of barriers to trade is of
great interest to any legitimate busi-
ness that trades internationally.
The high-caliber of the speakers and
participants taking part in Global
Trade Development Week presents
a fantastic networking opportunity;
this allows the business community
to build on international relation-
ships and seize on opportunities to
expand by connecting with trade
leaders and investors from around the
world.
As part of Dubai Customs aims
to promote Dubai as the trade and
business gateway of choice, we are
inviting the delegates for a tour of our
customs facilities we are delighted
to host such an esteemed group and it
is with pride that we will show them
our frst-class facilities and services
that make Dubai Customs one of the
worlds best performing customs
authorities. We hope this event
gives us the opportunity to actively
contribute to worldwide eforts aimed
at supporting legitimate trade and
safeguarding the security of societies,
as well as to further leverage Dubais
global position as the regions pre-
mier trading hub which surely will
impact positively on both the UAE
and Dubais business communities.
Jebel Ali port
Below:
Dubai Customs Al Kashif [The Detector] vehicle won
the Innovative Idea Award at the 2013-2014 Dubai
Government Excellence Program (DGEP) 17th edition
i nf o@al r uwad. ae L andl i ne +9714 2932439 Mobi l e +971507050700 P. O. Box 33426 Dubai , UAE
AL RUWAD IS YOUR IDEAL PARTNER
B
aroness Sayeeda Hussain Warsi made headlines after resigning from
the British government due to their policy on Israels latest assault on
Gaza, Operation Defensive Edge. In her letter, the Baroness claimed
that the British government led by Prime Minister David Cameron, took an
approach that she describes as morally indefensible and lamented that the
U.K.s stance on Gaza would have a long-term detrimental impact on our
reputation internationally and
domestically. The former Con-
servative Party minister, also the
frst Muslim to serve in cabinet,
made her resignation publically
known on Twitter, and even gave
her followers access to read the
offcial resignation letter that
shed sent to the Prime Minister.
Prime Minister Camerons letter
in response to Warsis was noth-
ing out of the ordinary; he com-
mended her for her government
and Conservative Party achieve-
ments, and reiterated his posi-
tion on the confict. With public
opinion shifting signifcantly in
Britains political mainstream on
the Palestine-Israel confict, will
we see more politicians take a
decisive stand?
IN THE LOOP
SANCTIONS IMPOSED ON
THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
T
he popular uprising in Ukraine that led to a
change in government and Russias annexation
of Crimea were the center of attention, but the
unrest didnt stop there. In response to Russias
military intervention and support of pro-Russia
separatists, both the U.S. and the European Union
(EU) have implemented economic sanctions on the
BRICS country. The sanctions included blacklist-
ing Russian political and military ofcials, industry
leaders, and pro-Russia Ukrainian ofcials and
members of the annexed Republic of Crimea gov-
ernment. Russia responded by blacklisting Ameri-
can and Canadian politicians, notably John McCain,
John Boehner, and Harry Reid. Chechnya, part of
the Russian Federation, blacklisted U.S. President
Barack Obama, President Jos Manuel Barroso of
the European Commission, President Herman Van
Rompuy of the European Council, and even Baron-
ess Catherine Ashton, either to add further insult
to injury or for sheer entertainment (public opinion
suggests a bit of both). Sanctions are tightening
up from both ends though; the EUs new round of
sanctions directly target state arms, energy, and
fnancial sectors, and those on the initial blacklist
are subject to travel bans and asset freezes in the
West. In response, Russia banned many agricultural
and food products from entry into the country. Has
this response made an impact? So far, Germanys
exports to Russia fell by 15.5%. The next logical
question is whether or not the sanctions will afect
the Middle East? The UAE has reiterated develop-
ing strong economic ties with Russia; Economy
Minister H.E. Sultan bin Saeed al Monsoori claimed
that sanctions wont impact the relationship unless
the UN decides to take action. And Qatar? As a
Russian rival for the natural gas market, the Gulf
nation might soon fnd the EU knocking on their
doors in the near future.
T
hings arent looking good for
South Americas number
three economy, which has
defaulted its debts for a second
time in 13 years. Its previous default
back in 2001 is considered to be the
root of this current fnancial bind.
Standard & Poors demoted Argen-
tinas foreign currency credit rating
to selective default as Argentina
struggles to pay back bondholders.
How did Argentina get to defaulting
for a second time since their last
crisis? The country had a difcult
time paying back the interest of the
money they borrowed (approxi-
mately US$132 billion), so they
asked bondholders who could help
them out by trading their bonds for
cheaper ones. That didnt go well,
primarily because a group of hedge
funds werent fond of this idea and
took it to court, wanting Argentina
to pay the original interest. The
court ruled in their favor, though it
took a good 13 months to do so, and
the interest valued at $539 million
was owed by June. With Argen-
tina entering a recession this year,
infation as a result of the default
is a cause of concern: it may end
up deepening the dip even further.
Drastic measures are needed by the
beleaguered Argentinian govern-
ment to sort this mess out the
second time around.
ARGENTINA
DEFAULTS AGAIN
Baroness Warsi calls it
quits over U.K. policy on Gaza
EBOLA OUTBREAK
IN WEST AFRICA SPARKS
INTERNATIONAL SCARE
Above: Viral tweet by Russian Deputy
Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin
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he 2014 Ebola virus
outbreak has been making
headlines in the news as of
late, and for good reason. While
Ebola isnt the most contagious
virus out there, there is no
confrmed cure and has a very
high fatality rate- according
to the World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO), 25-90% of Ebola
victims die, depending on the
strain of the virus itself. The
last Ebola outbreak took place in
Zaire (present day Democratic
Republic of Congo) in 1976,
killing 280, which is about 88%
of those infected. This outbreak
started and is at its worst in
Western Africa, notably Guinea,
Liberia, and Sierra Leone. That
being said, Nigeria has been on
the receiving end of many cases
in recent weeks. On August 22,
2014, WHO confrmed among
the countries most impacted
(Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia,
and Nigeria), there have been
a total of 2,615 cases and 1,427
deaths since the beginning of the
outbreak, although not all are
laboratory confrmed. So how
did things escalate? While Libe-
ria has dealt with the most casu-
alties, the origin of the outbreak
came from neighboring Guinea
back in December 2013. Afer a
team of local and international
medical experts investigated the
situation, they concluded that
Patient Zero was a two year-
old girl in Guinea who died afer
experiencing high fever, vomit-
ing, and other symptoms of the
virus. She most likely contracted
the disease from an infected
fruit bat- scientists consider it
to be a natural reservoir for the
virus. WHO said that while its
possible that the virus could
potentially be transmitted
through animals like gorillas
and pigs that have eaten fruit
dropped by infected bats, thus
far the only confrmed infections
are fruit bats. The likelihood of
coming into contact with a fruit
bat is quite high in Guinea, given
that several popular traditional
dishes include bat meat.
Since Nigeria doesnt share
a border with the other three
countries, its speculated that
crowded public spaces like air-
ports seem to be the catalyst for
the spread of viral diseases. Ni-
gerias frst case wasnt reported
until late July, afer an ofcial
from the Liberian Ministry of
Finance few to Lagos and died
afer his arrival. The Nigerian
government responded by quar-
antining the hospital and the
doctors and nurses who were
treating the ofcial, but two of
the health workers succumbed
to the virus. The increasing
number of cases and failure
to contain the virus sparked
international eforts to halt the
spreading of the virus, espe-
cially with various suspected
cases taking place not only in
bordering countries like Benin
and Chad, but also Spain and
India. The international efort
in collaboration with various
governments in Africa spanned
everything from fnancial dona-
tions and health workers from
international organizations to
local and regional taskforces.
Something did backfre though.
The infux of international
health workers increases the
spread of the Ebola virus. While
preventative and cautionary
measures were obviously taken,
nothing is 100% guaranteed.
In late August, WHO confrmed
that over 120 health work-
ers have died from Ebola out
of a total of the reported 240
that contracted the disease.
A particular incident that has
made headlines is 29 year-old
volunteer nurse William Pooley
from the UK. Afer contract-
ing the virus in Sierra Leone,
Britains Royal Air Force (RAF)
sent him back to London where
he is currently being treated. As
a result, the UK is taking a much
more cautious and measured ap-
proach to the potential (but very
unlikely) spread of the Ebola
virus there. Before a British Air-
ways fight took of from London
to Aberdeen, an ill 10 year-old
Nigerian girl perpetuated a
two-hour delay, as medics in
chemical suits boarded the plane
to examine her. The child was
sent to the hospital, but was not
infected with the Ebola virus.
What about us in the Middle
East? Should we worry? So
far, governments in MENA have
been active in handling potential
Ebola threats. Mauritania in
Northern Africa has banned the
entry of citizens from countries
that have been hit by the Ebola
virus, as well as fortifed health
control and inspections by its
borders along Mali and Senegal.
Saudi Arabias government has
also banned citizens from Li-
beria, Guinea, and Sierra Leone
from acquiring pilgrimage visas,
in fear of the spread of the virus
in the heavily populated holy
sites of Mecca and Medina. A
Saudi businessman who fell ill
with symptoms similar to that
of the Ebola virus passed away
at a Jeddah hospital, although
he tested negative. In August,
UAEs Emirates Airlines was the
frst carrier to suspend its fights
to and from Guinea. Another
UAE occurence is that of a Nige-
rian woman transitioning fights
at Abu Dhabi airport who passed
away afer feeling ill. Medics
found signs of the Ebola virus,
and treated her based on that
possibility. Emirates ofcials
soon reported that she was on
her way to India for treatment of
advanced metastatic cancer.
W
hat a turnaround it has been for
Iraqs aviation sector. Over the
past year, most of the talk on Iraq
revolved around investing in aviation; the
idea was to encourage more fights and to
diversify carriers. Things have been thrown
for a loop recently with ISIS, now simply
known as the Islamic State (IS), and their
expanded military operations. The barrage
of strategized attacks allowed militants to
take over Mosul, Iraqs second largest city,
and since the Iraqi military failed to contain
them, the efort has been led by Kurdish
Peshmerga forces based in Erbil. It could
be back to square one for Iraqs aviation
industry since the international community
is taking action. Many airlines are beginning
to divert their fights from Iraqi airspace,
and have suspended direct fights to Iraq.
Early last month, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) banned American
carriers from fying over Iraqi airspace soon
afer the U.S. government launched its frst
round of airstrikes on the IS. With major
international American carriers like United
Airlines increasing overnight direct fights
to various major cities in the GCC, well be
seeing less American carriers in Iraqi skies.
The FAA has put a few exceptions in place;
the pilot can get prior FAA permission to
cross Iraqi airspace or can do so if the plane
needs to do so in the event of an emergency.
In late July, Dubais Emirates Airlines an-
nounced that they will reroute fights to
avoid fying over Iraqi airspace, clarifying
that this decision was sparked by the rising
security concerns in Iraq and the Malaysian
Airlines Flight MH17 tragedy- the fight was
shot down over Ukrainian airspace, killing
all 298 passengers and crew. Abu Dhabis
Etihad waited a little longer before decid-
ing to reroute their fights, and other major
carriers such as Qatar Airways, Air France,
KLM, and Virgin Atlantic have followed
suit. Lufhansa has done the same, which
means that its subsidiaries will fall in line,
so were talking Swiss, Lufhansa Cargo, and
Austrian Airlines. Some airlines have also
taken somewhat diferent and more targeted
approaches. Most have fights to Erbil, which
isnt far of from where the clashes are tak-
ing place. Lufhansa and Austrian Airlines
have halted fights to Erbil, and so have Eti-
had and Emirates, but both carriers are still
ofering fights to Basra and Baghdad. While
Qatar Airways have done the same, theyve
temporarily halted their fights to Baghdad
and Sulaymaniyah. Turkish Airlines is an
interesting case; theyve been sending many
fights to Erbil from airports both in Istanbul
and Antalya, afer stopping their fights to
Erbil in early August, they reconsidered their
decision 24 hours later deciding to modify
fight times instead. It all sounds bad, but
apart from the lack of people fying into
Iraq and spending money there, how is this
negatively afecting the Iraqi aviation indus-
try? Flying through international airspace
requires paying overfight fees, even without
landing or taking of in that space; Iraq could
lose a source of funds that way. The current
situation suggests that Iraq can beneft from
planes needing to land in Iraq midfight due
to an emergency, but that looks less and less
likely as more carriers divert their routes to
avoid confict zones altogether. What are the
alternatives? Some carriers are opting for
Iran, including Australias Qantas. Emirates
have followed suit, most notably with their
London-Dubai fights. While Iran is still
under U.S.-led sanctions, even American
airlines can pay overfight fees, though some
airlines such as Delta consider Iran a no-fy
zone. With Western diplomatic relations
improving with Iran, (and some sanction-
relief), it might be the logical choice for
more aircraf carriers. Afer all, if the fights
are signifcantly rerouted, extra fuel costs
trickle down into increases in passenger
ticket costs. Iraq and Ukraine both take up
relatively large fractions of their airspace
corridors, it wouldnt be surprising if lob-
byists from the private aviation sector begin
urging governments to focus on relieving any
Iranian airspace restrictions for cost-efec-
tive reroutes.
IRAQI
SECURITY
CRISIS
HANDICAPS
AVIATION
INDUSTRY
E
ight armed men at-
tacked a convoy that be-
longed to the Saudi Ara-
bian embassy on its way to Le
Bourget airport. Carrying AK-
47 rifes, the gunmen drove by
in two separate vehicles and
forced the driver of one of the
cars to stop. They hijacked
the vehicle with the driver
and two other men inside.
While they let all three go,
they bagged US$330,000 and
ofcial embassy documents
that were in the vehicle, ac-
cording to Rocco Contento of
the police union. Contento
believes that the armed men
were well-trained, and could
have been commandos from
eastern Europe. The hijacked
vehicle was eventually found,
but it was unoccupied.
This isnt the frst time a
Saudi ofcial has been robbed
in France. Just over a year ago
in July 2013, armed robbers
disguised as ofcers in mock-
up police cars forced a Saudi
ofcial to pull over on his way
to Le Bourget airport. Afer
inspecting the car, they
drove of with $30,000. So
if France is a risk for Saudis
(and ultimately GCC tourists),
where to? London, of course.
In fact, the ofce for national
statistics (ONS), Britains
national service for statistics,
concluded that increased
visits from tourists from
Saudi Arabia and the UAE has
skyrocketed between October
2012 and September 2013,
with a total of 260,000 visits.
We dont expect the English
to welcome tons of Middle
East tourists next summer,
since there is one slight prob-
lem with designating London
as a safe haven for tourists
from the GCC. Three Emirati
sisters were brutally attacked
at Londons Cumberland
Hotel on a Sunday morning
earlier this year, and sufered
serious injuries in addition
to getting robbed. The sister
with the most serious injuries
sufered life-threatening head
injuries and lost her lef eye.
The attacker stole $2000
worth of property and with-
drew approximately $5000
using the victims ATM cards.
A week later, a poll by the
Al-Roeya newspaper in the
UAE showed that 76.5%
percent of Emirati citizens
no longer consider Britain a
travel destination. The same
poll showed that they prefer
Germany, Singapore, Malay-
sia, and Switzerland- France
didnt appear at all on the list.
GUNMEN ATTACK SAUDI
ARABIAN ROYALS
CONVOY IN FRANCE
Qatar Science and Technology Park (QTSP) hosts the 31st Interna-
tional Association of Science Parks (IASP) World Conference this
October. This years conference, staged in the Middle East for the
frst time, is star-studded and bound to be one of the best tech
events of the year. The IASP 2014 Doha Organizing Committee
has confrmed YouTube co-founder, Chad Hurley, as the opening
ceremony guest speaker. Hurley is expected to be nothing short
of sensational as he shares his experiences building one of the
worlds most polarizing internet platforms. The event will take
place from October 19-22 at the Qatar National Convention Center,
held under the theme Where Technology Goes to Work as part
of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Youtube co-founder Chad Hurley
to speak at IASP Doha
T
he sixth Euromoney
Kuwait Conference
will take place this
month on September 9th,
2014 at the JW Marriot.
This years event will em-
phasize on current develop-
ments underway in the Gulf
nations fnancial sector.
This editions theme, New
Dynamics of Finance and
Investment, will see Kuwait
Minister of Finance, H.E.
Mr. Anas Al Saleh, and Gov-
ernor of the Central Bank of
Kuwait, H.E. Dr. Mohammed
Al-Hashel opening up the
event with keynote speech-
es. With the region going
through massive changes, it
seems like an ideal time to
have debates and strategic
discussions about the chal-
lenges and opportunities
Kuwaits fnancial sector
faces in the future. An ex-
pected attendance of about
350 people from an array of
professional backgrounds,
ranging from policymakers
to fnance professionals,
promises that this years Eu-
romoney Kuwait Conference
will be a productive one.
It will be interesting to see
what road Kuwaits banking
and fnancial sectors decide
to take, and whether other
GCC nation states will fol-
low suit.
KUWAIT LOOKS TO INSPIRE FURTHER
DEVELOPMENTS IN ITS FINANCIAL SECTOR
WITH THE SIXTH ANNUAL EUROMONEY
KUWAIT CONFERENCE
IN THE LOOP
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Richard Banks,
Director of
Emerging Markets
at Euromoney
Conferences
I
t looks like maintaining a
high staff morale isnt as
complicated as one might
initially think. A recent survey,
Working Well: A Global Survey of
Health Promotion and Workplace
Wellness Strategies, shows that
employees put their physical and
emotional wellbeing before ev-
erything, and that impacts their
productivity at the offce. The
survey by Xeroxs Buck Con-
sultants may sound as though
its pointing out the obvious,
but it looks like businesses have
only just started to take action.
According to Buck Consultants
Dave Ratcliffe, employers used
to only focus on basic health
promotion activities, but are
now looking at health in a more
holistic sense. Basically,
providing a medical insurance
plan isnt going to cut it, even
though rising healthcare costs
have been the primary cause for
a good staff wellness programs,
especially in the United States.
Multinational corporations
have noticed this too; they have
to make sure their wellness
programs are appropriate for the
different cultural backgrounds
of their employees, and have
to make sure they comply with
the laws they must adhere to.
Despite this, they have worked
towards globalizing wellness
programs, with a growth from
34-56% in the past seven years
among multinational corpora-
tions.
One interesting fnding from
the study is that the number
one component of wellness pro-
grams on a global scale tends to
relate to paid off days and work
arrangements that are fexible,
followed by Employee Assis-
tance Programs. This has proven
to be successful in the United
States, Canada, Australia, and
Africa. Asia and the Middle East
have been working towards
better wellness programs with
components such as the ones
mentioned above, citing work-
ers safety as a priority.
While making sure that em-
ployees dont suffer from anxi-
ety, and maintaining a healthy
lifestyle with adequate sleep and
a nutritious diet are elements in
wellness programs, it also goes
beyond that. The survey also
says that there is a communica-
tion segment; wellness emails to
employees are becoming more
popular, especially personalized
ones, and has proven to reduce
sick days. Some businesses have
even gone as far as sending out
wellness messages to the homes
of their employees, taking into
consideration the impact of
household environments on
health. Happier, healthier em-
ployees do produce more, and
do in fact cost you less in the
long run.
help you stick to the right
choices. Knowing your need of
greens for the day, you ask for
a salad frst (dressing on the
side). Then, keeping in mind
your choice of protein, aim
to stick to that. Having your
meal in mind before looking at
the menu will defnitely help
fght temptation to stray.
EMPTY THE MINI BAR
There is almost always a
convenience store nearby
where you can stock up on
munchies. Ask the hotel to
empty your mini bar, and use
the now empty fridge to store
your chosen foods. My travel
favorite would be nutrient-
rich yogurt- it curbs a craving,
and keeps you on your game
a little longer. Quick and easy
snacks include high-fber
cereal with non-fat or low-
fat milk, and unsalted nuts.
Make it a habit to have them
around, and let these healthy
options be the frst thing that
come to mind when you start
running low on energy.
Whether youre fying for
business or pleasure, travel
is stressful. Your body needs
the right nutrients to win the
fght to stay up and running.
To master frequent fying,
fuel-up well by maintaining
your precious energy levels
via staying hydrated, a nutri-
tious diet, and restful sleep.
See you in the air!
DRINK UP
Being literally on the fy,
your body requires that you
be in optimum shape to battle
of stress-related blows. Fly-
ing causes dehydration and
results in water-retention.
You dont want heaviness
and fatigue holding you back
when youve made the efort
to seal the deal abroad. Aim
for the average two liters of
water, and cut down on the
usual suspects: cofee, tea,
and alcohol.
THE IN-BETWEENS
What you dont want to do is
get to the point of being hun-
gry and settling for the frst
thing you fnd, whether on the
plane, at the airport or a res-
taurant. To keep your appetite
in check, always have satisfy-
ing snacks within reach. You
may opt for scheduling your
snack between meals and
packing light a low fat and
low sugar protein bar does
a great job of replenishing
the essentials while promot-
ing your satiety for longer
stretches of time.
PLAN AHEAD
Most airlines give you the op-
tion of pre-selecting your in-
fight meal. In such cases, the
choice of a low calorie meal
would be perfect. If youve
landed and youre heading to
a restaurant, then a plan will
CULTURE
BUSINESS UNUSUAL | LIFE | TRAVEL | DESIGN | TRAPPINGS
Nutrition for
terminal-weary treps
On the fy
H
opping on a plane and travelling to get
the job done has undoubtedly become the
norm. While its true that travel has be-
come a great deal easier, there defnitely is a toll
paid when it comes to your well-being. To keep
you at your prime, here are four easy health tips
for the terminal-to-terminal treps.
By Shoug Al Nafsi
If you havent yet opted to try out fydubais Business Class
routes, now might be the time to start since the Dubai-
based carrier has just launched their lounge dedicated
to business guests at Dubai Internationals Terminal 2.
Currently offering Business Class on fights to 52 of their
77 destinations, many execs are opting for the carrier given
the wide range of fight timings available. Operational since
2009, the airline launched their special business segment
in October of last year with priority check-in service and a
24-hour dedicated BusinessTeam to address guest needs.
The two-level Business Class lounge offers round the clock
food and beverage, as well as complimentary WiFi. In terms
of pre-fight shopping, the newly-refurbished Terminal 2
has a broadened Duty Free area -its bigger with a better
selection- and now has more F&B options. The best part?
There are now self check-in counters for those of you who
want to make it in and out even faster.
LOUnGIn AROUnD
flYDuBaI COmpETEs fOr
THE BUSINESS TRAVEL SEGMENT
Investing in the wellness of your staf increases
staf morale and productivity
Health and welfare
pays for itself
X
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AUGUST 2014 ENTREPRENEUR 29
CULTURE
Both performing artists demonstrate
extremely high virality, but brands
looking to take advantage of celebrity
reach need to tread carefully here as
both stars post controversial material,
including partial nudity. Cyrus and
Minaj demonstrate similar engagement
levels, and both are very active across
several social media platforms.
19.6 million Vevo-certifed minaj
24 hour views Anaconda August 2014
19.3 million Vevo-certifed Cyrus
24 hour views Wrecking Ball
September 2013
7,671,851 Minaj Instagram followers
as of late-August 2014
11,741,019 Cyrus Instagram followers
313,000+ likes on frst Instagram
post of Anaconda teaser by Minaj as
of late-August 2014
550,000+ Likes on Instagram post
of Anaconda teaser spoof by Cyrus
30,300+ Comments on frst
Instagram post of Anaconda teaser
by Minaj as of late-August 2014
25,500+ Comments on Instagram
post of Anaconda spoof by Cyrus as
of late-August 2014
17,933,958 Minaj Twitter followers
as of late August 2014
18,373,704 Cyrus Twitter followers
as of late August 2014
Turn me on
The next wave of home automation
Dornbracht is working to make your home just as smart
as you are- if not smarter. The company recently launched
SMART WATER to automate water usage in the kitchen
and bathroom through a system of one-touch, smart
controls. eUnit, for the kitchen, automates tasks like
dispensing water, temperature and plug operations while
Sensory Sky improves shower experience with features
like fog, light and fragrance. For Dornbracht, intelligent
technology in the kitchen and bathroom is just the
beginning: theyre currently testing a Smart Home app that
will allow you to pre-set water temperature, run times and
turn water functions on and off. Imagine that- we could
all live like James Bond. Are you ready for the future? The
Internet of Things is already here, and its going to be part
and parcel of your entire home.
SONY SLIMS DOWN
PORTABLE DATA STORAGE
TECH
SHINY | WEBSITE TO WATCH | GEEK | MOBILE TECH | ONLINE TREP | THE FIX
personied
Virality
nicki Minajs nSFW Anaconda
breaks YouTube record
I
n late July of this year, rapper/singer/
songwriter Nicki Minajs headline-
making album artwork for Anaconda
was released. Not only did it prompt
op-eds globally debating how-much-is-
too-much, it also provoked a number of
people to opine on the White vs. Black
sexuality bias. Minaj hit back at crit-
ics with images of famous models in
thong-similar poses, pointing out that
these images didnt cause what some
considered commentary that smacked
of slut-shaming and misogyny. Minaj
released the highly anticipated video
on August 20th, and within 24 hours
broke the Vevo-certifed YouTube
record for the most views in one day.
The record was previously held by
former Disney star Miley Cyrus for her
hit song Wrecking Ball. For those of you who havent yet watched the video
or heard Anaconda, it samples Sir-Mix-a-Lots 1992 Baby Got Back, and
features a cameo with Minajs fellow Young Money rapper Drake.
#TAMTALKSTECH
Tamara Clarke, a former software development professional,
is the tech and lifestyle enthusiast behind The Global Gazette,
one of the most active blogs in the Middle East. The Global
Gazette has been welcomed and lauded by some of the most
infuential tech brands in the region. Clarkes goal is to inform
about technology and how it supports
our lifestyles. See her work both in print
regional publications and online on her
blog where she discusses everything
from how a new gadget improves
day-to-day life to how to coordinate
your smartphone accessories.
Visit www.theglobalgazette.com and
talk to her on Twitter @GlobalGazette.
TECH
Between images, videos, music and personal
fles, you have tons of data worth keeping. Por-
table data solutions extend your personal stor-
age capacity and Sony offers big volume in the
worlds slimmest external hard drive. The HD-
S1A, a 1TB portable HDD, protects and stores
massive amounts of data, offers USB 3.0 for
faster data transfer and features Password Pro-
tection Manager to ensure privacy. Weighing in
at 155g and only 8.7mm thick, the device easily
fts into your pocket or laptop sleeve. But dont
be fooled, the slender case didnt compromise
design. Available in black and silver aluminum
with Sonys diamond-cut logo, the HD-S1A
backs you up with good looks.
NICKI MINAJ
VS. MILEY CYRUS
VIRALITY BY THE NUMBERS
| SHINY |
#TAMTALKSTECH
Below:
Nicki Minaj at
the FOX Winter
TCA All-Star
Party 2013,
Pasadena, USA
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s obvious as it may
seem: sweatpants and
polo shirts arent exactly
considered ofce attire, some
people make eyebrow-raising
mistakes when picking out their
outfts every morning to work.
Startups, hoodies are okay in
private. When youre pitching
your business, you really do need
to dress the part.
Whether youre on the hunt
for a new job, a promotion or
even a little raise, looking your
best can go a long way. Leaving a
good impression will boost your
chances and is considered an in-
tegral part of climbing the career
ladder. Investing in a fne shirt,
a properly tailored suit or even a
good cashmere scarf will not be
overlooked. Here are fve tips to
help you revamp your wardrobe:
1. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Up to a certain point, price
really does afect quality. Make
sure you buy less items- opt
instead for better-grade pieces.
Always aim for durable fabrics
like cotton, wool, linen, and silk,
and avoid synthetic fabrics like
polyester which wear of more
quickly, and have an unfattering
sheen to them.
2. MAINTAIN YOUR WARDROBE
Read the labels before washing
your newly purchased goods.
Taking good care of your clothes
will save you money on not
having to buy replacements. A
good drycleaner can do wonders,
but try them with one piece frst
before giving them the lot.
3. BE TREND-OBLIVIOUS
When youre investing in new
ofce-appropriate attire, forget
about fashion. Classics and
solid staple items in neutral
shades always hit the spot when
it comes to business dress. Its
better to have three good white
shirts than one terrifc red one.
4. SEASONAL SHIFTS
Buy items that you can wear all
year long. Light cardigans, loose
nice-quality scarves, button-
down shirts, and medium-
weight suits are all-year invest-
ments so dont be afraid to
splurge on these.
5. FIND THE RIGHT FIT
It doesnt matter how expensive
your new suit if it looks sloppy.
What matters more is does it ft
you? Always ask the specialists
on-hand for help when it comes
to picking a suitable garment
ft. If (like most people) youre
disproportionate, fnd a good
tailor to adjust measurements
to ft. A second important rule
of thumb? The people who work
in these better boutiques are
trained to know what type of cut
and form is best for your height,
weight and frame. Dont ignore
recommendations from experts
when it comes to tailoring and
fabrics.
Dress as you want
to be perceived:
professional,
serious, and
confdent. Tons
of human re-
source studies
reinforce the
idea that your
appearance can
really make or
break the tone
of your frst
impression.
Besides, who
doesnt want to
look their best?
EDITORS PICK
PORSCHE DESIGN
HAS IT
IN THE BAG
EXERT YOUR INDEPENDENCE
BLEU DE CHANEL EDP FOR HIM
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, SIR
BLEU DE CHANEL GOES ALL THE WAY
CULTURE CULTURE
BUSINESS UNUSUAL | LIFE | TRAVEL | DESIGN | TRAPPINGS BUSINESS UNUSUAL | LIFE | TRAVEL | DESIGN | TRAPPINGS
Porsche Design CosmoBag
Porsche Design
CosmoBag
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Dressing the part
FIVE WARDROBE
TIPS FOR BUSINESS-BUYS
By May Rostom
Porsche Design is upping the ante with their new range
of womens fne leather handbags. The introductory
CosmoBag, released in all Porsche Design stores in
June of this year, is available in two sizes we think
bigger is better- and four colors. The CosmoBags
leather options include durable Saffano leather or a
combination of smooth-fnish leather and roughened
calfskin. Are you a fnishings fan? The CosmoBags
fttings were developed in Florence, Italy, and are
available in either silver or gold. We expect nothing less
from PD. In case youre wondering, the face of the
CosmoBag is none other than Gucci-
campaign hall of famer nadja Bender.
La vita bella!
If youre already a connoisseur of the Houses
fragrances, then Jacques Polges and the Chanel
Fragrance Laboratory team have done you a
great service. Launching this month, Bleu de
Chanel Eau de Parfum for him reinterprets the
2010 Bleu de Chanel Eau de Toilette. The face of
both editions is French actor Gaspard Ulliel,
best-known for his starring roles as young
Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal Rising, and this
years Saint Laurent playing Yves Saint Laurent
himself in the biographical drama.
Soap vs. shower gel? Men who prefer a fne bar
of soap will opt for Bleus newest ancillary, and
if youre more of a shower gel fan, you have that
option as well. The Chanel Bleu bodycare range
includes both deodorant stick and deodorant spray,
and both after shave lotion and after shave balm.
The former is refreshing, while the latter offers
more reparative properties to address hydration
and shaving irritation. If youre on the move, the
Bleu de Chanel EDT travel spray is fight-friendly in
20ml, and comes with two reflls.
KEY TECHNICAL MATTERS
The Esquire Guy breaks
down the politics of favors
By Ross McCammon
W
hether or not you do the favor
isnt the important thing. Whats
important is how you say yes or
no. And how you should say yes or no is:
moralistically. You run the risk of seem-
ing uptight and condescending and a little
preachy, but moralistic you must be.
It doesnt matter how big it is from
Will you have an informational interview
with my niece? to Will you hire my
niece? to Will you not fre my niece? to
Can you please not press charges against
my niece?- every request for a favor
comes bundled with implicit points.
Such as:
You have power where I do not.
I will repay this favor at a later date.
I have faith in you.
You are The Man or The Woman.
Also, pleeeeeease?
There are so many unspoken issues that
the process can feel smarmy. So when
youre asked for a favor, its important to
get a few things out on the table, to take
the request head-on, speak what is usually
unspoken, shine a little light on the quid
pro quo of it all.
You could say, Sure, of course, but then
all youre doing is acceding. Which is a
wasted opportunity. Note the diferences
between these two answers:
Option 1: Sure.
Option 2: Sure, Dave. Youve been a good
friend to my business over the years. Im
happy to do this. I know youd do the same
for me.
What youve done with the second
option is defnitively answer the ques-
tion, exhibit magnanimity, tack enthu-
siasm onto agreement and de-smarmify
the implicit promise of reciprocation by
simply acknowledging it out in the open,
transforming a favors unspoken IOU to
YDOMAIJWTTTOTNHMBTRI (You Dont
Owe Me Anything I Just Want to Take This
Opportunity to Note How Mutually Benef-
cial This Relationship Is).
Youve also established that youre
thoughtful about the promises you make-
that when it involves your business, youre
not going to agree to just anything. Youve
efected another kind of transformation,
as well: Youve transformed a request that
seems personal into something profession-
al, because youve refocused things on your
company, the moral center around which
the whole thing should be revolving.
Its more respectable to say no if you
highlight that its not about the person
youre declining, but rather that youre
trying to maintain your commitment to
another set of people, says Adam Grant,
professor of management at the Wharton
School of the University of Pennsylvania
and author of Give and Take: Why Helping
Others Drives Our Success.
The beauty of this approach is that
youre not the one doing or not doing
the favor. Your company is doing or not
doing the favor. Youve made clear that
if the favor is not right for the company,
then the favor wont get done. Its all
about the company.
A FEW WORDS ON THE VARIOUS
CHARACTERS INVOLVED
Grant divides the parties into three
types:
1. Takers will do a favor when they
think they can get a larger one back or
when they are trying to impress someone
powerful or infuential.
2. Matchers believe its important to
trade favors evenly, so their favors come
to either reciprocate one given in the
past or perhaps to earn an equal one in
the future.
3. Givers do favors, for the most part,
without strings attached and are willing
to ofer them, usually to people they
dont feel they owe anything to.
Its always bewildering when you come
across a taker. What are these people
thinking? Theyre conspicuous. Theyre
bad actors. And theyre annoying.
Theyre like Sofa Coppola in The Godfa-
ther Part III. The way to deal with a taker
is the same way you deal with any favor:
You acknowledge the request, say yes or
no (depending on whats good for your
company) and explain the reasons youre
saying yes or no. Easy.
WHY YOU REALLY SHOULD SAY NO
FROM TIME TO TIME
The primary reason to say no to a re-
quest is, of course, that saying yes just
doesnt feel right. Youd be compromis-
ing your principles or your companys
mission, or youre just not able to provide
the kind of help the requester is looking
for.
But theres another reason to say no. In
his research, Grant uncovered that givers
tend to fnish last: By going out of their
way to do favors for everyone without
expecting anything in return, they end
up sacrifcing their time and energy and
resources for others.
IF YOU WILL ALLOW US TO UNDERMIND
THAT LAST POINT
But givers tend to fnish frst, too. Grant
concludes that givers who act selfessly
are asking for trouble, yet givers who
act with clear conditions -I am going to
be clear about who I help, how I help and
when I help- become more energized,
rather than distracted.
When people follow this setting of
boundaries around the who, the how and
the when, givers end up outperforming
matchers and takers because they build
deeper and broader networks, Grant
says. People feel this wasnt just a trans-
action or a self-serving exchange, but
theres some real goodwill. Givers end up
benefting from a lot more reciprocity.
Favors are opportunities to do good (even
when you say no), to build relationships
(even when you say no) and to remind
those in your professional universe what
kind of business you run (even when you
say no). And the kind of business you
run is one that requires a payment for
this kind of service: not money, not some
unspoken IOU, not even a cup of cofee,
but respect.
See this article in its entirety at Entrepreneur.com
wHEn YOurE askED
FOR A FAVOR, ITS
IMPORTANT TO GET A
FEW THINGS OUT ON
THE TABLE, TO TAKE
THE REQUEST HEAD-
ON, SPEAK WHAT IS
usuallY unspOkEn,
SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT
ON THE QUID PRO
QUO OF IT ALL.
SHOULD YOU DO THAT FAVOR?
ALWAYS SOMETIMES NEVER
Can you recommend a good
graphic designer?
A few minutes of your time?
Hold this door for me?
Mind if I visit your operation?
May I pick your brain?
(Asked by someone you know.)
Can you write me a letter of
recommendation?
A meal?
Hold this sack of money for me?
Mind if I look around a little?
May I pick your brain? (Asked by
someone you dont know.)
Just say I worked for you once, and I was great.
Cool?
A meal-length amount of time, without the meal?
Hold this gun for me?
Mind if I look around a little without you accompanying me?
May I pick your brain? (Asked by someone you dont know
who is holding a thin metallic rod.)
> When presented with a request
for a favor, ask yourself: Will this
be good for my business?
> If the answer is no, do not do
the favor.
> But explain why youre not
doing the favor.
> Then suffer through the
inevitable awkwardness that
results from your refusal.
> A favor requested by a
professional superior is not, in
fact, a favor. It is a demand.
> A request for free products is
not a favor.
> It is a request for free
products.
> The rate of favor requests you
feld will increase proportionally
along with your business
success.
> The rate of disappointing
people will, too.
> The best way to say yes to a
favor is: Of course! followed
by a much less enthusiastic
justifcation for saying yes.
Its a buzzkill, but its important.
> Favors requested over the
phone are to be considered
more thoughtfully than those
requested over email.
> Favors requested over email
are to be considered more
thoughtfully than those
requested over Twitter.
> Favors requested via
congressional subpoena are to
be looked over by a lawyer.
TREPONOMICS
ETHICS | ESQUIRE GUY | SKILLSET | MARKETING | PRO
tain of it as well. And entre-
preneurs in these industries can
ofen enjoy the benefts of having
the upper hand over their larger,
hierarchy-driven rivals in other
industries.
PROMOTE ADAPTABILITY
With new technologies devel-
oping on a daily basis, and the
feeting trends of an ever more
infuential and younger con-
sumer base, the need to adapt
is stronger than ever. Adapt-
ability comes easier to busi-
nesses whose decision-makers
are fewer. As an entrepreneur, it
is essential to allow a business
to not only react quickly to new
trends, but to also take calcu-
lated risks in predicting them.
Developing an organizational
structure that retains fexibility
in its decision making is impera-
tive to successfully operate in
an industry as susceptible to
change as the events sector
is. Being adapt-friendly or
pre-empting your next strategic
move (before you are forced to
make it), can pay real dividends
to your long-term game plan in
sport and entertainment.
PURSUE YOUR PASSIONS
On a personal level, I remember
vividly my frst ever football
match. It was on a cool Sep-
tember afernoon at Highbury
watching Liverpool beat Arsenal
2-0. The experience lef an
indelible mark and I was forever
hooked. I recall just as vividly
my frst ever live event, a
Disney On Ice show a year
earlier at Londons Wembley
Arena. I sat in wonder and awe
by my fathers side as I watched
Mickey, Minnie and all the
Disney characters that I adored
skating before my very eyes. The
fame was lit and has been burn-
ing ever since. It is these same
memories that I had wanted to
bring to the Middle East so that
future generations can experi-
ence what I did all those years
ago and develop new memories
of their own. Afer recogniz-
ing that the GCC was missing
authentic, high-quality family
friendly content, we signed a
pioneering fve-year exclusive
agreement with Feld Entertain-
ment, the worlds largest pro-
ducers of family entertainment.
This move was only possible as a
result of our business structure,
which enabled us to act quickly
and seize the opportunity ahead
of more recognized and larger
competition.
Last year, we ofcially re-
branded from Sport Solutions to
SES, as the potential in the en-
tertainment sector became more
apparent. We saw scope for a
business that bridged sport and
entertainment, and the mutual
ENTREPRENEURS
PLAY BY THEIR OWN
RULES
FROM MESSI TO MICKEY
In mY BusInEss, spOrTs anD EnTErTaInmEnT
INDUSTRIES GO HAND-IN-HAND
T
odays sporting events
welcome people of all
ages and backgrounds
seeking more than just their
share of action on the pitch.
Crowds at the biggest sporting
events are placing more value in
the entertainment and pleasure
they ofer of the pitch, and
businesses are quickly respond-
ing to this.
Gone are the days of stadiums
flled with statistic-obsessed
teenagers and fans dressed
head-to-toe in sportswear. Event
organizers in the region are rap-
idly revamping their entertain-
ment oferings at events in a bid
not only to grow audiences, but
to enhance the overall experi-
ence. Sponsors are spending
as much on their activation
budgets as they are on acquir-
ing the event rights in the frst
place. The commercial dynam-
ics of sport and entertainment
are more intertwined than ever
before.
The industry is developing
entertainment-driven strate-
gies around its major sporting
events on a global scale that is
far superior than it was a decade
or two ago. Think Shakira at the
2010 World Cup, cheerleaders at
IPL Cricket, Janet Jackson and
Justin Timberlake at the Super
Bowl, and Hollywood A-listers
sitting courtside at the NBA it
is now impossible to keep the
worlds of sport and entertain-
ment apart. People are buying
tickets to todays events expect-
ing to be entertained and, with
this in mind, the responsibility
of sports entities is evolving. It
is no longer enough to win on
the court or on the pitch, but
the need is ever greater to enter-
DEVELOPING AN ORGANIZATIONAL
STRUCTURE THAT RETAINS
FLEXIBILITY IN ITS DECISION MAKING
IS IMPERATIVE TO SUCCESSFULLY
OPERATE IN AN INDUSTRY AS
SUSCEPTIBLE TO CHANGE AS THE
EVENTS SECTOR IS.
ADAPTABILITY COMES EASIER
TO BUSINESSES WHOSE
DECISION-MAKERS ARE
FEWER. AS AN ENTREPRENEUR,
IT IS ESSENTIAL TO ALLOW A
BUSINESS TO NOT ONLY REACT
QUICKLY TO NEW TRENDS, BUT
TO ALSO TAKE CALCULATED
RISKS IN PREDICTING THEM.
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By Ali Haidary
September 10-13, 2014,
Disney On Ice Rockin Ever
After will take place at
the Dubai World Trade Centre
TREPONOMICS
synergies operating across both
sectors. Ten years afer taking a
pioneering role in the growth of
sports marketing in the region,
we have led the industry yet
again with the incorporation of
entertainment in our ever grow-
ing and varied portfolio.
KNOW YOUR GAME
Working with companies,
brands and athletes that you
are passionate about encour-
ages success from within. As a
professional marketeer and life-
long sports fan, it was a natural
transition to start a sports
marketing agency, and it is this
thorough knowledge based on
a long standing passion that
has been my driving force ever
since. Without a deep and solid
understanding of the sector,
we would not have been able to
accomplish some of our biggest
milestones, including negotiat-
ing Etisalats ground-breaking
sponsorship deal with Spanish
Football giants FC Barcelona
and Cristiano Ronaldos unique
brand endorsement agreements
with Mobily and KFC.
The outlook for sports and en-
tertainment in the GCC is excep-
tionally strong, with pioneering,
world-class infrastructure and
talent-driven initiatives placing
the United Arab Emirates and
Qatar in particular, frmly on the
world map with Expo 2020 and
FIFA World Cup 2022. Fuelled
by a growing economy and un-
derpinned by an unrivalled des-
tination proposition, the region
ofers some of the most exciting
business climates to operate in.
Rather like the athletes that we
work with, you have to know
your game, live and breathe it in
order to succeed at it. You can
rest assured that challenges and
hurdles will present themselves
along the way, but with the right
motivation and commitment,
the hard work pays of.
As an entrepreneur, playing
the game is made that much
easier when you play by your
own rules.
Ali Haidary is the Founder and CEO
of Sport & Entertainment Solutions
(SES). SES was established in 2005
and has since played a leading role in
the sports events and sponsorship
sector in the Middle East. Bilingual
in Arabic and English, Haidary has
a Masters degree in Marketing
Management fromthe University of
Manchester. In his capacity as CEO,
Haidary brokered the partnership
between Etisalat and FC Barcelona, in
addition to securing several regional
brand endorsement deals for both
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In 2013 Haidary steered SES in a
new direction, partnering with FELD
Entertainment to become the exclusive
promoter of Disney On Ice and Disney
Live events in the Middle East.
FUELLED BY A GROWING
ECONOMY AND UNDERPINNED
BY AN UNRIVALLED
DESTINATION PROPOSITION,
THE REGION OFFERS SOME OF
THE MOST EXCITING BUSINESS
CLIMATES TO OPERATE IN.
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TREPONOMICS
In recognition of the highly active community of
entrepreneurs, the rst annual Middle East Enterprise
Agility Awards: Entrepreneur of the Year presented by
du, will take place on October 13th, 2014 in Dubai, UAE.
JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL OCTOBER 13, 2014
NOMINATE AN ENTERPRISE
AGILITY ACHIEVER
Email awards@bncpublishing detailing your candidates
name, industry category, and a short description of their
demonstrated business agility
www.EntrepreneurMiddleEast.com
ENTERPRISE
AGILITY
AWARDS
2014
Enterprise Agility Gold Ally
ENERGY
STARTUP OF THE YEAR
AVIATION
HEALTHCARE
CONSTRUCTION
HOSPITALITY
RETAIL
EDUCATION
CONSULTANCY
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
RETAIL BANKING
ISLAMIC BANKING
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
BANK OF THE YEAR
VENTURE CAPITAL
PRIVATE EQUITY
LOGISTICS
FASTEST GROWING
INSURANCE
REAL ESTATE
OF THE YEAR
I
n recent years, corporate
social responsibility (CSR),
has gained prominence and
support from companies in the
Middle East and wider society.
Organizations no longer see
themselves solely as proft-mak-
ing machines, but as contribut-
ing and conscientious members
of the community as a whole.
Adoption of CSR practices in
the Middle East region has
improved signifcantly over the
past decade and is currently at
an all-time high. One clear sign
that CSR in the region is gaining
momentum is the fact that the
majority (66.9%) of respond-
ents in Bayt.coms Corporate
Social Responsibility: Is Your
Company Making an Impact?
poll, August 2013, claim that
their companies do engage in
CSR activities. Another 74.7%
also claims that their companies
actively motivate employees
to participate in CSR activi-
ties. With stakeholders across
the spectrum (governments,
corporations, employees, and
not-for-profts) realizing the
importance of CSR, adoption
can only go in one direction from
here: forward.
According to the Bayt.com
Corporate Social Responsibility
in the Middle and North Africa
poll, August 2013, 95% of polled
professionals in the region
feel its important that their
company is socially responsible.
This is just one more reason why
businesses should be widen-
ing out their CSR strategies to
include the long-term impact
of business decisions on their
communities. For professionals
in the Middle East, the three
main benefts of adopting a CSR
strategy are considered to be an
enhanced corporate reputation
(28.5%), improved relation-
ships with the community and
stakeholders (10.4%), and
strengthened employee com-
mitment (9.9%). According to
64.7% of respondents, compa-
nies that engage in CSR do make
an impact. In fact, an over-
whelming 94.3% of respond-
ents feel that corporate CSR
strategies can directly contrib-
ute to business success. In light
of these opinions, corporations
can no longer aford to take CSR
lightly, since their reputation as
an employer and that as a prod-
uct/service provider is being
cultivated as much through their
social actions as through their
business decisions.
Indeed, in todays media-driv-
en society, image is everything.
Theres no business disaster
worse than making socially irre-
sponsible decisions that damage
a companys reputation and
revenue. According to the
Bayt.com What Makes a Compa-
ny an Attractive Place to Work?
poll, February 2014, seven out
of 10 professionals in the Middle
East wouldnt work for a com-
pany they arent proud of.
CSR
ETHICS AND INTEGRITY IN
THE MIDDLE EAST ENTERPRISE
SPACE
LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
REQUIRES ALL THIS AND MORE By Suhail Al-Masri
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TREPONOMICS
Similarly, 98% of respondents
in the Bayt.com Values, Ethics
and Integrity in the MENA
Workplace poll, June 2014,
believe that it is important for
their company to have sound
ethics and integrity. If some
companies in the Middle East
still think that business is solely
about proft maximization and
the survival of the fttest, then
they are wrong. Business is
about solving problems, and
doing so in a way that drives
sustainability. And perhaps the
most profound area of intel-
lectual change going on at the
moment is in the broadening out
of the concept of sustainability
to include the sustainability of a
business itself.
For CSR initiatives to result in
a truly sustainable future there
needs to be more coordination
between MENA governments
and corporations, where govern-
ments would put together the
necessary regulatory framework
and engage all stakeholders,
while corporations would move
from purely philanthropic ac-
tivities to sustainable programs
addressing development chal-
lenges. In other words, national
governments need to legalize
and formalize CSR through regu-
lations while simultaneously
engaging corporations to ensure
a quick and smooth adoption of
such regulations. Both local and
multinational companies need to
adopt a localized CSR approach
by proactively identifying issues
and working with local com-
munities and governments to
solve them. No words convey
the importance of sustainable
development for the MENA re-
gions long-term prosperity and
stability. Governments, private
companies and civil society
organizations will need to coor-
dinate and commit themselves
to sustainable development if
the MENA region is to achieve
its environmental, economic and
social potential. Transparency
and a just and ethical approach
to doing business are critical
for the Middle East. Creating an
environment that encourages
ethical practices and upholds
strong values is imperative in
attracting top talent, who seek
work at organizations that are
in line with their own ethical
values and moral drivers. In
fact, the majority of respond-
ents (76.8%) in the Bayt.com
Corporate Social Responsibility
in the Middle and North Africa
poll, say that working for a
socially-responsible company
is very important to them, with
89.8% stating that they believe
the corporate sector has a moral
responsibility to do CSR work.
With this in mind, companies
across the MENA should in-
creasingly work towards adopt-
ing more policies that actively
nurture an ethical, integrity-
driven workplace one in which
sustainability, transparency and
respect for values is vital.
Suhail Al-Masri is the VP of Sales at
Bayt.com. Al-Masri has more than 20
years of experience in sales leadership,
consultative sales, account manage-
ment, marketing management, and
operations management. His mission
at Bayt.com goes in line with the
companys mission to empower people
with the tools and knowledge to build
their lifestyles of choice.
GOVERNMENTS, PRIVATE COMPANIES
AND CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS
WILL NEED TO COORDINATE
AND COMMIT THEMSELVES TO
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IF THE
MENA REGION IS TO ACHIEVE ITS
ENVIRONMENTAL, ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL POTENTIAL.
B
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M
S
S
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V
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N
R
U
L
E
S
T
O
A
T
T
R
A
C
T
A
W
E
S
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M
E
T
A
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E
N
T
R
E
P
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R
T
B
A
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T
.C
O
M
TREPONOMICS
I
ve been following a simple rule that is
helping me crush procrastination and
making it easier for me to stick to good
habits at the same time. I want to share it
with you so that you can try it out and see
how it works in your life. The best part? Its
a simple strategy that couldnt be easier to
use. Heres what you need to know.
HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINATING WITH
THE TWOMINUTE RULE
I call this little strategy the TwoMinute
Rule and the goal is to make it easier for
you to get started on the things you should
be doing. Most of the tasks that you procras-
tinate on arent actually difcult to do you
have the talent and skills to accomplish
them- you just avoid starting them for one
reason or another. The TwoMinute Rule
overcomes procrastination and laziness by
making it so easy to start taking action that
you cant say no. This is a two-part theory.
PART ONE If it takes less than two minutes,
do it now.
Part one comes from David Allens bestsell-
ing book, Getting Things Done. Its surpris-
ing how many things we put of that we
could get done in two minutes or less. For
example, washing your dishes immediately
afer your meal, tossing the laundry in the
washing machine, taking out the garbage,
cleaning up clutter, sending that email, and
so on. If a task takes less than two minutes
to complete, then follow the rule and do it
right now.
PART TWO When you start a new habit, it
should take less than two minutes.
Can all of your goals be accomplished in less
than two minutes? Obviously not. But, every
goal can be started in two minutes or less.
And thats the purpose behind this little
rule. It might sound like this strategy is too
basic for your grand life goals, but I beg to
difer. It works for any goal because of one
simple reason: the physics of real life.
THE PHYSICS OF REAL LIFE
As Sir Isaac Newton demonstrated long ago,
objects at rest tend to stay at rest and ob-
jects in motion tend to stay in motion. This
is just as true for humans as it is for falling
apples. The TwoMinute Rule works for big
goals as well as small goals because of the
inertia of life. Once you start doing some-
thing, its easier to continue doing it. I love
the TwoMinute Rule because it embraces
the idea that all sorts of good things happen
once you get started.
> Want to become a better writer? Just write
one sentence (TwoMinute Rule), and youll
ofen fnd yourself writing for an hour.
> Want to eat healthier? Just eat one piece
of fruit (TwoMinute Rule), and youll ofen
fnd yourself inspired to make a healthy
salad as well.
> Want to make reading a habit? Just read
the frst page of a new book (TwoMinute
Rule), and before you know it, the frst three
chapters have fown by.
> Want to run three times a week? Every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, just get
your running shoes on and get out the
door (TwoMinute Rule), and youll end
up putting mileage on your legs instead of
popcorn in your stomach.
The most important part of any new habit
is getting started not just the frst time,
but each time. Its not about performance,
its about consistently taking action. In
many ways, getting started is more impor-
tant than succeeding. This is especially true
in the beginning because there will be plenty
of time to improve your performance later
on. The TwoMinute Rule isnt about the
results you achieve, but rather about the
process of actually doing the work. It works
really well for people who believe that the
system is more important than the goal. The
focus is on taking action and letting things
fow from there.
TRY IT NOW
I cant guarantee whether or not the Two
Minute Rule will work for you. But, I can
guarantee that it will never work if you
never try it. The problem with most articles
you read, podcasts you listen to or videos
you watch is that you consume the informa-
tion but never put it into practice. I want
this article to be diferent. I want you to
actually use this information, right now.
Whats something you can do that will take
you less than two minutes? Do it right now.
Anyone can spare the next 120 seconds. Use
this time to get one thing done. Go.
Using the
two-minute
rule
James Clear writes at
JamesClear.com, where he
uses behavior science to
share ideas for mastering
your habits, improving your
health, and increasing your
creativity. To get useful ideas
on improving your mental and
physical performance, join
his free newsletter JamesClear.com/newsletter, to
have James speak at your entrepreneurial event
contact himjamesclear.com/contact
S
cience is looking for
keys to solve the
obesity epidemic.
The psychology of choice,
cravings, and metabolism,
among other appetite
factors has been the focus of
extensive research recently.
Some of the most recent
studies have shown that
microbes found in the gut
do indeed have an effect on
human food choices and
cravings, as per researchers
at UC San Francisco, Arizona
State University, and the
University of New Mexico.
It appears that those gut
microbes, outnumbering our
own cells, have preferences
and aim to entice our bodies
into feeding their needs.
The mechanism remains
unclear; however, microbes
were found to release
signals that affect both our
physiological and behavioral
responses. Fortunately,
research has also shown
that the microbial population
changes depending on our
diets, giving rise to the
theory of altering those
released signals that either
promote or impede obesity.
The tables have turned:
Previous studies have shown
behavioral changes related to
microbial releases including
Lactobacillus casei and its
link to feeling good.
MICRO MANIPULATION, MACRO EFFECTS?
A version of this article was frst published on JamesClear.com
TREPONOMICS
T
he media and movies
are flled with mis-
conceptions of what
it takes to be a suc-
cessful entrepreneur.
Creating legends and
impossible ideals might make
for good stories, but the truth
is less farfetched and more
achievable to those willing to
put these strategies in action.
Here I ofer four common
myths about entrepreneur-
ship and the reality of how to
succeed.
MYTH 1. LUCK
Successful entrepreneurs
are lucky.
REALITY Successful
entrepreneurs are actively
present.
While the myth makes for a
good line at a cocktail party
or conference, the idea of
luck or even being at the
right place at the right time
simply doesnt stand up to
scrutiny. It discounts all the
hard work, planning, and
even strategic socializing
that goes into creating that
lucky moment when it
all comes together. One of
the best bosses I had at
Motorola taught me the idea
of showing up. He would fy
from Chicago to Berlin just
so he could meet face-to-face
with a customer for lunch.
He encouraged me to do the
same: show up for lunches,
meetings, conferences
in person. He told me to
show my face, get involved,
be active, ask questions, and
to follow-up. Many people
dont want to go to all of
this trouble. They think they
dont have time, its hard, its
not worth it. Their lack of
initiative, their unwillingness
to put in the hard work,
is the diference between
success and failure. Heres
another way to look at this
from the world of sports: The
best training comes when you
least want to do it. When its
cold, when youre tired, when
its raining there can be
tons of reasons not to train
each day. When it comes time
for race day, this is where the
commitment to train shows
up. Is the winner lucky? No.
The winner is the person
who consistently trained and
showed up. Neglect adds up
over time and it becomes a
behavior. On the other hand
if you show up, consistently
over time, things will happen.
Invitations and opportunities
and people who can advance
your career will come to
you as if by magic. In other
words: you make your own
luck. Entrepreneurs do not
stand around waiting for
Godot. Entrepreneurs make
things happen.
MYTH 2. BIRTHRIGHT
Entrepreneurs are born.
REALITY Entrepreneurship
is a skill that must be
developed by doing.
Starting and running a busi-
ness requires skills that a
person can only develop in
the real world. Everything
from dealing with many
diferent types of people to
handling the constant un-
certainty that so ofen comes
with a startup. Although
this is hard to achieve in a
classroom setting, there are
new methods of employing
simulations with unpredict-
able variables serve to mimic
real-world decisions and
their consequences. Certainly
there are dynamic programs
like that of Bill Aulet, who is
the managing director of the
Martin Trust Center for MIT
Entrepreneurship, a research
and teaching program. But
not everyone can or wants to
attend MIT to learn how to
be an entrepreneur. Accord-
ing to the The Kaufman
Foundation for Entrepre-
neurship, simply earning an
MBA isnt a straight-line on
the path to becoming a trep.
Sadly, most MBA programs
teach students to be manag-
ers, not entrepreneurs.
There is a big diference. Its
a mindset that comes from
solving real-world problems
with real-world hurdles
that requires responding in
real-time. In the real-world,
MBA credentials dont help
you; credibility and a great
track record does. So many
potential entrepreneurs think
all they have to do is write
the perfect business plan. Its
something static, something
they may have been taught to
do in school. They are under
the impression that the
perfect plan, written in the
vacuum of a college course,
is all they need for success.
So they write and then make
one pitch afer another, they
develop Powerpoint presen-
tations, they hope to win
the lottery. Its fairly easy
to make a great presenta-
tion -that can be learned and
practiced. The key is having a
prototype, and even better, a
frst paying customer. Nobody
buys Powerpoint slide, and
nobody funds a plan that
hasnt been tested.
MYTH 3. RICHES
It takes a lot of money to
launch a startup; venture
capitalists will fund it.
REALITY According to recent
Babson College statistics, a
typical start-up only requires
about $65,000 to get going.
Entrepreneur and author
Eric Ries advocates the idea
of creating a Lean Startup,
which essentially means
eliminating waste and being
efcient with resources, one
of those of course, being
money. Successful entrepre-
neurs, who dont buy into
this myth of needing plenty
of capital, design their busi-
nesses to work with little
cash. They rent instead of
buying. They borrow instead
of paying for things. They
work on barter, they factor,
they do vendor fnancing,
they lease equipment. And
they turn fxed costs into
variable costs by paying peo-
ple commissions instead of
salaries. They discover what
can be had for free, like social
media marketing and open
source coding. They create
virtual teams of the best tal-
ents around the world, rather
than pay for ofce space and
moving expenses. The myth
that venture capitalists are a
good place to go for startup
money is pervasive, but isnt
reality unless youre plan-
ning to start a computer or
biotech company, and even
then its not a sure thing.
VCs only fund about 3,000
companies a year, and only a
quart of those are in the seed
or startup stage. Computer
hardware and sofware, semi-
conductors, communication,
and biotechnology account
for 81% of all venture capital
dollars, and 72% of the com-
panies that got venture capi-
tal money over the past 15
or so years. In fact, the odds
that a startup will get venture
capital funds are about 1 in
4,000. Thats worse than the
odds that you will die from a
fall in the shower. The other
problem is that the moment
you take someone elses mon-
ey, you have lost some control
of the company. When you
vote it is not democratic,
either everyone want to do it
or everyone does not want to
do it- its as simple as that.
Too much money is worse
than too little, because when
all you have is a little money,
youre more inclined to work
hard. You sufer, and you
think smarter.
MYTH 4. PROPRIETARY
I have to keep my great idea
secret.
REALITY Ideas are worthless
without implementation, and
you cannot implement an
idea without sharing it and
testing it.
A student may have an idea,
but without the network, the
resources, and the exper-
tise to implement that idea,
its worthless. It becomes a
catch-22. Its the model that
makes the startup success-
ful, not the idea. There were
plenty of search engines
around before Google. Who
would have thought that
Twitter would be a success
when consumers already had
email and sms and even RSS
feeds? It is very rare that an
idea can be stolen because
each of us has our own
personal ecosystem with
contacts, information, and
networks. When we starts
speaking to people, the ideas,
and thoughts, and contacts
multiply, and it becomes a
kind of connecting the dots
methodology that no one else
has. Entrepreneurs are con-
tinuously curious. Where do
great ideas come from? The
best ideas originate from per-
sonal experience as simple as
a visit to the store. Why is it
that I have to place all of my
grocery items in a shopping
cart, and take them out at
the checkout and then place
them in my bags to haul them
in my car? There must be an
easier way. When a solution
to a problem emerges into
what might be a marketable
idea, then its time, as serial-
entrepreneur Steve Blank
says, to get out of the build-
ing. Speak to people -men-
tors, friends, experts- and ask
them what they think. This
is where business models are
formed.
Sometimes people do not
know what they want. Who
would have thought anyone
needed Twitter? An idea
plus implementation equals
opportunity, and there are
opportunities everywhere.
Wherever there is change,
there is opportunity. If we
know that the population
is getting older and people
are living longer there are
thousands of opportunities
for products and services
(robotics, medicine, exercise,
education, entertainment).
If we know that we need to
protect the environment then
there are green homes,
healthier food with less addi-
tives, clothing that sheds soil
and perspiration and needs
less laundering. An oppor-
tunity is a favorable set of
circumstances that creates a
need for a new product, skill,
or service. Theres no magic,
only thoughtful action.
MYTHS ABOUT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Enterprise go-getters dont ascribe to platitudes
By Juris Ulmanis
Experiential learning advocate
Juris Ulmanis has spent
the past decade teaching
entrepreneurship, marketing, and
international business courses
as a professor in universities
across Europe. A former
Motorola executive for 18 years
in Europe and the U.S., Ulmanis
left the company to explore
his own entrepreneurial ideas
as a co-founder, including his
latest experimental learning and
simulation company:
Experiential Simulations
www.experientialsimulations.com.
In demand as a speaker
and media commentator,
Ulmanis trains, consults, and
mentors business leaders in
entrepreneurship. The Vice-
Chairman of the European Scout
Foundation, hes a champion of
the organizations ability to create
creative leaders and embraces
every risk-taking opportunity to
reap the rich rewards of success.
THE MYTH THAT VENTURE
CAPITALISTS ARE A GOOD
PLACE TO GO FOR STARTUP
MONEY IS PERVASIVE, BUT
ISNT REALITY UNLESS
YOURE PLANNING TO START
A COMPUTER OR BIOTECH
COMPANY, AND EVEN THEN
ITS NOT A SURE THING.
SPONSORED BY CADILLAC IN THE SPIRIT OF
LINKING SUCCESS WITH POTENTIAL
INDUSTRY
KNOW-HOW
TREPONOMICS
REPUTATION IS
THE FOUNDATION OF
BUSINESS SOLVENCY
our characters and the way
were perceived, is an in-
vestment that will pay for
itself. With all this in mind
I want to share six pillars
to building the foundation
of a solvent and successful
business.
1. KEEPING YOUR WORD
If you want to establish
your reputation you must
deliver on your promises!
This is a basic require-
ment. To get ahead, you
ofen need to over-deliver
on what youve committed
to and do it with pleasure.
It means if you commit
to delivering a piece of
work for another frm or
providing a beneft to your
employee in the way you
said you that were going
to, then you must. Without
excuses and without a
change of conditions, let
your yes be yes and your
no be no. The latter is also
related to keeping to your
convictions: be decisive
in your decision making,
dont sit on the fence. If
you arent sure, then dont
give your word. Think
before you make your per-
sonal guarantees. Nothing
destroys trust and loyalty
as much as failing to keep
your promises.
2. SHOWING UP
Similar to keeping your
promises is showing up.
Ofen, when we make com-
mitments we are making a
decision based on how we
feel with no forethought.
When you tell your child
you are going to be at
their theatre recital or
football game, you better
be there with bells on. If
you agree to go to a party
on Saturday evening, when
Saturday afernoon comes
around youre feeling tired
from chasing the kids and
playing 18 rounds of golf on
the local golf course, you
cannot just balk on your
word. Yes, your energy is
somewhat depleted, and
you now change your deci-
sion and decline going to
the party. That evening, the
host of the party expects
you, but you never turn up.
It seems insignifcant to
you, but this is a common
scenario and it frustrates
me how many people
change their minds paying
no regard to how it may
afect someone else. Just
being there says a lot about
you and who you are, and
at the same time, a lot is
said when you commit to
an engagement and have
a change of heart because
you feel tired.
3. BEING KEMPT
Keep your person and your
environment clean and
organized. Our surround-
ings and the way we come
across speaks volumes
about our integrity that
we have not only toward
other people, but also to
ourselves. Are we com-
mendable stewards of
the people, resources and
talents we have under our
own jurisdiction? Your en-
vironment will leave clues
to the level of integrity that
you adhere to as a general
rule. You cant aford to
be messy, unprepared and
scrufy. We are all being
watched, the entire world
is a spectator, not just
our business associates.
Whenever I go into a new
town and want to fnd a
place to eat, the frst place
I go is the washroom. If a
restaurant cant keep that
area clean, they certainly
wont be much better of in
the kitchen. First impres-
sions matter, and taking
pride in the presentation
of both yourself and your
environment is of para-
mount importance when
reputation-building.
4. MAINTAINING FOCUS
This world is full of distrac-
tions, temptations and
opportunities. We have so
much screaming for our
attention. The ability to
stay focused despite the
onslaught and perpetual
distractions will certainly
test our integrity muscle.
When someone pays you to
do a job you owe it to them
to put your all into it. Its a
question of your character,
staying focused is a chal-
lenge for each of us. When
we consider the why
and fully understand our
motivations and the reason
for why we do something it
equips us to stay focused,
staying focused draws
admirers, every person who
is admired has strong levels
of integrity.
5. CHOOSING INFLUENCERS
Be infuenced by posi-
tive people; this world is
rife with negative forces.
What we consider news
programs no longer report
on news, they report more
on negativity to generate
ratings. We must surround
ourselves with people with
high integrity, solid char-
acter, positive attitude and
that are highly-respected
in their felds of work. Its
not just people who can
infuence you- its what you
read, its what you watch,
it permeates the air where
you hang out, and its in the
environment that you open
yourself up to. Be mindful
of who you allow to disperse
information and ideas into
your life, and open up to
those you admire and who
already deliver a high stan-
dard of reputation in line
with your own passions and
skillset.
6. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY
Its vital that when we make
a mistake we are quick to
put our hands up and say, I
got that wrong. Do apolo-
gize with a simple, Im sor-
ry and then work tirelessly
to prove your remorse.
Words can be powerful
and they can also be cheap,
back up your apology with
action. Its refreshing when
you have the guts to take
responsibility for your ac-
tions. We all make mistakes,
some are genuine while oth-
ers are sadly premeditated.
We can all smell BS, so quit
fabricating the truth. Liars
are ofen insecure and seek
baseless approval from
outside factors, whereas the
pursuit of solid integrity
starts when you seek high
standards from yourself.
SIX PILLARS OF BUILDING
YOUR INTEGRITYBy Mark Sephton
Its only right and timely to focus on
how we can become a person of integ-
rity, and it may well be the diference
between your pitch for business and a
competitors pitch. It goes even beyond
that- we need to be at peace with our-
selves by living a life of high reputation
and integrity as our success depends on
it personally as well. Peoples percep-
tion is ofen their reality, and youd
want them to have your good intentions
at the forefront of their thoughts.
Fostering your integrity, and ensuring
that we are all continually working on
TREPONOMICS
T
he most important asset in any company or business
is their reputation; its an accepted truth. Within the
depths of any incredible reputation lies integrity. I defne
integrity in a simplifed way: its basically what you do when
nobody else is watching. Its a scary thought! Would any of us
be comfortable having a DVD of our own thoughts and actions
when no human eyes were upon us played back over a cinema
screen? Probably not. Weve all seen corrupt deals, and been
dismayed by peoples half-truths and lies in a world crying out
for truth. At its most basic, its about needing people to follow
through with what they commit to delivering.
Mark Sephton is an inter-
national personal mentor to
entrepreneurs, basing his
programon a GPS system
with eight key fundamen-
tals. This systemreveals
blind spots, effciencies and
defciencies, and is used to
fnd your inner sniper to
improve your instinct, pro-
ducing devastating results
in your own revolution of
discovery. It is hard to see the picture when youre in the frame. Chang-
ing the way you think through culture and mindset shifts and introduced
to game-changing habits helps increase your productivity and skyrocket
your personal brand. www.marksephton.com
See Mark Sephton speaking about this topic
in a video on our website
www.entrepreneurmiddleeast.com
OUR SURROUNDINGS AND
THE WAY WE COME ACROSS
SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT OUR
INTEGRITY THAT WE HAVE NOT
ONLY TOWARD OTHER PEOPLE,
BUT ALSO TO OURSELVES.
WE HAVE SO MUCH SCREAMING
FOR OUR ATTENTION. THE ABILITY
TO STAY FOCUSED DESPITE THE
ONSLAUGHT AND PERPETUAL
DISTRACTIONS WILL CERTAINLY
TEST OUR INTEGRITY MUSCLE.
One could potentially accuse the author
of hyperbole for calling Intel the worlds
most important company if one was
ignorant of just how many things in our
daily lives use Intel electronics. Malone,
a long-time writer covering Silicon
Valley, has taken us back to the begin-
nings of how Intel was formed, with an
in-depth look at the main players and
their distinct personalities. With some
of their employees likening the three to a
dysfunctional family, readers are aforded
a close look at how even the most dysfunc-
tional of partnerships can form a company
that todays technology literally could
not function without. The Intel Trinity is
extremely interesting, so well-written that
the narrative is movie-like. One note, tech
terms are liberally used throughout the
book, so this reviewer recommends that
laypeople go to the handy tutorial of terms
appendix before you dive into this one.
READ BETWEEN
THE LINES
BUSINESS BOOK RUNDOWN
By Amal Chaaban
J
ust because an author demonstrates great sales doesnt mean their
business advice is applicable in the boardroom or even good for practical
application otherwise. Our reviewer takes a look at some of the titles getting
hype recently and gives you the executive summary. Before you hit the business
bestseller aisle, read these reviews to see which of these known books are
actually worth your while.
Every year, millions of people around
the world compete for venture capital or
angel investment funds to start up their
businesses. In The Customer-Funded
Business, John Mullins ofer up a better
way. Using his many years of experi-
ence both in the business world and
in academia, he provides fve diferent
customer-funded models of business,
complete with anecdotes and supporting
examples. While the book eases into the
case for customer-funded businesses,
once it gets going, it is a fairly fast-paced
read. Each model is expanded upon in
its own chapter, and perhaps the best thing
about this read is that its not written like
some stufy textbook dusted of 20 years ago
and made new, instead the ideas are fresh,
insightful, and very tech-relevant. Each
chapter has pull quotes that highlight key
statements, and questions are posed that
entrepreneurs will beneft from asking. No
matter what sort of business youre actu-
ally contemplating starting, this is a book
you want to read. In our Money section, see
an exclusive article by Mullins about the
established VC ideas and why you might
need to reconsider what you think you know.
This reviewer has long wondered why
people who are second-in-command
(for lack of a better term) get so little
appreciation and recognition in the busi-
ness world, because the reality is that
no matter how stellar the head honcho
is they cant do everything. Along comes
Consiglieri to set that to rest. Having
been both the man at the top and the
second in command, Hytner expands
on the critical role(s) that the second
in command play in any organiza-
tion. The author comes across as truly
indignant that people so easily discount
and underestimate the importance
of the second, and uses the term
Consiglieri to great efect as a way
to group the many types of seconds
out there. One of the standout things
about this book is the great number of
examples demonstrating how seconds
really do infuence the running and
direction of any business, across many
industries. This is a great read for
people who understand the functional
day to day work of a second, but (like
most) underestimate the importance
of the ships under-captain.
Consiglieri
Leading From the Shadows
Richard Hytner
The Intel Trinity
How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove
Built the Worlds Most Important Company
Michael S. Malone
When Jim Clifon opines about
issues like identifying entrepre-
neurs, the business and politi-
cal world should sit up and take
notice. Chairman of the highly
successful Gallup, Clifon has
extensive insight into what makes
a business and by extension an
economy, tick. Entrepreneurial
StrengthsFinder can be consid-
ered a learning and measuring
tool; in addition to the book, there
is a website where the reader
answers a series of questions and
is then provided a report on their
personal strengths. The book pro-
vides a more thorough explanation
of each of the 10 main factors in
successful entrepreneurs, and
gives ample advice on how to
utilize the factors to your best
advantage. This reviewer took that
test and found it almost complete-
ly on the mark in indentifying my
strengths (creativity) and weak-
nesses (caring about proft). Dr.
Badal also provides insight on how
Gallup reached their fndings and
what implications they may have
in the workplace. In my opinion,
the only faw in this highly useful
book is that innovation seems to
be given the short end of the stick
over entrepreneurial drive.
Entrepreneurial StrengthsFinder
Jim Clifton and Sangeeta Bharadwaj Badal
The Customer-Funded Business
John Mullins
SHOW ME SOME
I.D., PLEASE
SUC RESEARCH RECOGNIZED
S
harjahs Skyline University College (SUC) earned
accolades for its scientifc research, winning
the award for Best Scientifc Research at ID
World Abu Dhabi 2014, also nailing second place in
Best Research in Advanced ID Systems. Money
prizes were awarded with SUC winning AED75,000.
First place winners, New York University Abu Dhabi,
were awarded AED100,000. Other participants that
won awards at the event included Al Hilal Bank and
the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department. Comprising of
Dr. Riktesh Srivastava, Dr. Deepak Kalra, and Mr.
Firoj Kumar Rauta, SUCs teams research was on a
Blueprint for Improving University Services in the
UAE using Emirates I.D. Card.
Dr. Riktesh Srivastava, Dr. Deepak Kalra,
Nitin Anand, and Firoj Kumar Rauta
CULTURE
I
launched my own busi-
ness, MB Consultancy, a
digital marketing agency in
Cape Town, South Africa
three years ago. Like many
startups, I did little consid-
eration of the actual brand
identity. I didnt properly
understand how to formulate
the companys essence, title
or name, logo development,
font choices, and fnally,
the positioning. But as the
company grew -I opened an
ofce in the UAE at the begin-
ning of this year- so did the
need for a rebrand to refect
the personalized nature of my
agency. Instead of hiring my
sister to design another logo
(rookie mistake), I decided
to invest in a professional
branding agency that special-
izes in startups and SMEs,
JPd. JPd is a UAE-based
boutique agency spearheaded
by international branding
specialist James Pass, whose
agency is making best prac-
tices in branding available for
passionate entrepreneurs and
startups.
I approached JPd having
already decided on the new
company name (Boguslavsky
& Co) as I wanted to use
my surname to refect the
personalized nature of the
agency. It was also important
to leverage my digital strategy
experience and skills as its
vital to the work I do with
my clients. I added the sufx
& Co as I wanted to show
its not a one-woman show-
I work with quality team
members that add consider-
able worth to my company.
In terms of positioning, I
wanted to make it clear where
our skills, knowledge and
expertise lay.
So what does a rebrand-
ing experience entail? The
process kicked of with a
face-to-face meeting with
JPd. The purpose was to
establish an understanding of
my business objectives, goals,
and current standing in the
market. Through an in-depth
interview process, which took
me through questions that I
hadnt before considered, I
really thought about the core
essence of my agency and
our personalized approach.
Not long afer, JPd came back
I rebranded my startup
The right conceptual development
makes all the difference By Marianna Boguslavsky
IN TERMS OF
POSITIONING, I WANTED
TO MAKE IT CLEAR WHERE
OUR SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE
AND EXPERTISE LAY.
with their frst presentation;
the detailed understanding
of my business, and a com-
prehensive analysis of my
competitors and their cur-
rent brand positioning, blew
me away. I was surprised to
realize that so many digital
agencies tend to use same
colors and the same wording
and verbal tone. Luckily,
JPd and I were on the same
page- it was important that
I diferentiate my business
from the rest. Our follow-up
presentation was the one
I was most excited about
as it involved my new logo,
and the creative ways it can
work with my name. I mean
how much can you really do
with a logo for a company
called Boguslavsky & Co?
Apparently quite a bit.
Adding to my excitement
was the overall look and
feel that complimented the
logo and brand positioning,
giving me added creative
tools such as typography,
shade palette, and graphic
layouts. Ultimately, from the
in-depth immersion in the
process to their phenomenal
creativity I was incredibly
pleased with the results. I
realized that branding is the
frst step to launching your
business if you want to do it
properly.
All in all, the rebrand-
ing experience was a much
needed and fascinating
process- it has resulted in
a new brand that I am very
proud to call my own.
Marianna Boguslavsky was born in
Latvia, studied in South Africa and
the U.S., and kicked off her marketing
career in London, U.K. She has worked
in the digital marketing industry in
Cape Town, South Africa and Dubai,
UAE and is currently running her own
digital strategy agency based in the
UAE, Boguslavsky & Co. Boguslavsky
has had the opportunity to work in a variety of industries in London,
Cape Town & Dubai, ranging frompublishing, property, search,
e-commerce, retail, automotive, and fundraising. She has worked for
corporations, startups, and NGOs, with her work experience span-
ning over eight years and three continents.
I WAS SURPRISED TO
REALIZE THAT SO MANY
DIGITAL AGENCIES TEND
TO USE SAME COLORS
AND THE SAME WORDING
AND VERBAL TONE
I
n the tech world, the latest
must-have is a fashion
executive. This time, its Yves
Saint Laurents Europe President
and Retail Head Catherine
Monier, reportedly nabbed by
none other than one of the
biggest players in the game. Yes,
its Apple who snapped Monier
up, and 9to5Mac reported that
former YSL CEO and current
Vice President at Apple, Paul
Deneve played a part in the
hire. This phenomenon isnt
an anomaly either: Burberry
CEO Angela Ahrendts has been
appointed as Apples Senior Vice
President of Retail and Online
Stores position, and previous
Burberry Social Media Marketing
Head Musa Tariq is Apples new
Digital Marketing Director. Other
lesser-known fashion execs
within Apples ranks? J Crew
Group Incs CEO Mickey Drexler
(famous for his minimalistic
approach to Gap stores and later
on inspiring Jobs), still serves
as an Apple board member.
Even Jobs successor Tim Cook
dabbles in the retail space- hes
a director at nike Inc. The
timing could not have been
more perfect (pun intended), in
an interview at D11 conference
in May, Cook said that he fnds
wearable tech profoundly
interesting (CNET). With Apple
gearing up to launch their
fashion and ftness wearable
gadget, these retail vets might
be just what they need: Big
fashion House players with
top-notch expertise in retailing
personal products. Were taking
all these new recruits as a sign
that Apple is prepping for a
trendsetting game-changer.
DESIGn DOES
MATTER
The tech world, led by Apple, is going
on a fashion-recruitment spree
Apple headquarters, Cuperino, CA, USA
A
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CULTURE
T
he tough reality is, no matter how
great your site is, chances are slim
that a customer will randomly hap-
pen on to your site. So its imperative that
you use a variety of strategies to get your
website noticed by the nearly 2.5 billion
people who now surf the web. They make
up over one-third of the planets popula-
tion. Here are six easy ways to generate
website trafc.
1. THE FINE PRINT
Winning visitors becomes a matter of
creative, persistent marketing. The good
news is that its still the little things that
will bring plenty of trafc your way. There
are fundamental steps that too many
businesses neglect. For instance? You
should always put your URL and a reason
to visit your website on all printed matter,
including your business cards. You should
also mention what people will get when
they visit your site, such as a newsletter
or a list of some type of content that will
pique their interest. That substantially
increases visitors, and eventually visitors
become customers and/or subscribers.
2. CREATE AN EMAIL SIGNATURE
An email signature is also an especially
powerful and absolutely free tool. Create
a signature with a link to your website in
it and have it automatically attached to
every one of your outgoing emails. It takes
only a few seconds to create an email
signature, and it may bring in visitors to
your site every day. Ensure that the URL
is hyperlinked, and while this may seem
like a no-brainer, youd be surprised to
see how many signatures arent web-
ready.
3. NETWORK IN ONLINE DISCUSSION
GROUPS
Another low-cost trafc builder is
online discussion groups and chats.
Where appropriate, give out your URL.
Look for places in which you can join
in discussions on topics that relate to
what you sell, but dont be a salesman.
Be knowledgeable, show your expertise,
provide helpful solutions, and point out
great articles on the topic. Eventually,
people will read your profle or ask how
you know so much and then you can
mention that you work in the industry.
Make people want to come to you, visit
your site, and buy. Thats what inbound
marketing is all about. You put yourself
out there, and people come to you, rather
than the old-school advertising approach
of chasing down customers and hitting
them over the head with your advertising
messages.
4. MARKET YOUR BLOG ACROSS
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Similar advice is true for social network-
ing sites like Facebook, Twitter and
Google+. Youll want to create a profle
for your business, get active in the groups
that cater to your web audience, and
befriend other likeminded businesses
and people. Like any community-oriented
activity online, you dont want to cross
the line into spam. Only friend people
when it makes sense. And keep your
profles updated. If youll be participating
in real-world events with your business,
put that in the events section on your
Facebook page, for example. If youve
updated a section of your site or added a
new product or service, broadcast that on
your Twitter feed to instantly alert your
audience. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
Google+, Pinterest and other social media
platforms are ideal ways to draw trafc to
your website with links and content that
tie into your site.
5. IDENTIFY ONLINE MARKETPLACES
Another big-time trafc builder for any
retail website is posting items for sale on
the major auction and marketplace sites,
such as eBay, Yahoo! and Amazon. Those
sites let you identify yourself to viewers,
and a few dollars spent on highlighting
your items on those sites may just bring
in lots of trafc from surfers seeking more
information. Many small retailers say that
their entire advertising budget consists
of less than US$100 monthly spent on
eBay, but theyre nonetheless seeing traf-
fc counts above 500 daily, with most of
those viewers coming via eBay. Even if
you sell those specifc goods at no proft,
the trafc increase your site may experi-
ence could well justify your eforts by
leading to additional or future sales.
6. OFFER FREE MONTHLY EMAIL
NEWSLETTERS
For many businesses, good old email may
be the surest and certainly the cheap-
est tool for building trafc. And it gets
results: customized email can generate
response rates upward of 6%.
A good way to get folks to opt in to your
email list, which, of course, theyll have
the option of opting out of, is to ofer a
free monthly email newsletter. Efective
newsletters usually mix news about
trends in your feld with tips and updates
on sales or special pricing. Whatever
you do, keep it short. Create interesting
lists, give them tidbits, factoids, trivia, or
anything they can digest quickly. People
dont even want to bother scrolling down,
TECH
THE HOW-TO
START
WITH THE
INTERNET
BASICS
sIx EasY waYs TO lurE
IN WEB TRAFFIC
Gamers report hearing sound
efects post-play
NOT SUCH A GOOD
GAME AFTER ALL
Go, go, go! Youll hear that
and more during a session of
zombie-slaying- all normal
elements of any video game.
But for some gamers, when
its back to the real world, the
sounds linger. According to
new research published in the
International Journal of
Cyber Behavior, Psychology
and Learning, an alarming 12%
of gamers experience Game
Transfer Phenomena (GTP).
A widely discussed symptom
of GTP? Hearing game sound
effects from video games even
after youre done playing.
The Guardian reported that
researchers from Nottingham
Trent Universitys International
Gaming Research Unit
compiled anecdotal evidence
from more than 12,000 gamers
(via online forums) complaining
of auditory residuals. What
do they hear? Sword slashes,
beeps, bullets, explosions,
screams and more. One gamer
even reported hearing constant
whispering of dead for a
few days post-play. Cases
are apparently triggered by
real-world cues that relate
to in-game situations, and
a common factor for gamers
experiencing GTP is the long
periods of time that theyve
been gaming. As the data is
drawn from players conversing
with their peers, theres
likelihood for exaggeration,
although lead psychologist
Angelica Ortiz de Gortari claims
that the new study will back up
prior GTP research.
de Gortari also said that
sounds in video games can
have long-lasting effects on
how players respond in real life.
With this years International
Dota 2 tourney having the prize
pool increase from US$1 million
in its frst year to this years
$10.9 million, and a South
Korean university deciding
to accept gamers as student
athletes (Gizmodo), delving
into the consequences of
long-term gaming behaviors is
a relevant issue to explore.
| GEEK |
so give them as much as you can in the preview screen with
a little more below the line. The sides and corners are for
promoting your products and services. Another key? Include
hyperlinks so interested readers can, with a single click,
go directly to your site and fnd out more about a topic of
interest. And, if you provide great content, add forward to a
friend so they can spread the word about your business.
Always think viral with online marketing. Whether youre
emailing a newsletter or using Facebook or Twitter, you
want to encourage others to spread the word, since word-
of-mouth marketing is the best possible means of no-cost
marketing. It is also how you use the power of social media
to grow your following.
Point and shoot just got
better with ultra wide-angle
camera lenses. Why go wide?
To capture more, of course!
Ultra wide-angle lenses allow
you to include more of your
scene in a single frame. A
lesser known beneft is how
super wide lenses draw more
attention to a photos focal
point with increased depth of
feld. Canon has introduced
two new high performance,
wide-angle zoom lenses
to the EF range: the EF 16-
35mm f/4L IS USM and the
EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS
STM. The EF 16-35mm f/4L
IS USM, designed for experts
and enthusiasts, provides
greater versatility for profes-
sionals who regularly capture
wide-angle perspectives such
as landscape or architecture
photographers, and its also
the frst ultra-wide L series
lens to feature Canons
signature optical Image Sta-
bilizer technology. Rounding
out the consumer side is the
EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS
STM lens, offering a wide-
angle zoom in a lightweight,
compact body for easy
travel. The next time you
want to capture a brilliant
cityscape or the entire family
in a group shot, remember,
theres a lens for that.
Go wide or go home!
PHOTOGS, WIDTH IS THE IN THING
FOR PRO AND AMATEUR SHOTS
Canon caters to both segments
with new lens editions By Tamara Clarke
CANON
EF 16-35MM F/4L IS USM WIDE-ANGLE ZOOM LENS
| SHINY |
G
oogle is the ultimate dream place to work. Voted the top
company to work at fve years in a row by Forbes, Googles
name is enough to make anyone in the room turn around
and listen. The perks, the technology, the spirit of innovation-
its the job you always dream of landing. And I was lucky enough
to work there. I accepted the job the morning of January 25,
2011, the day the uprising in Egypt began. Of course at the time
I had no idea how this would impact me. The internet in the
Middle East took center stage. The Arab Spring emerged and
with it came an unleashing of freedom- press freedom, internet
freedom, and freedom of expression that had never before been
witnessed. The web became a powerful force for change and its
hard to imagine what the region was like before this historical
moment in our tech-driven lives. The internet was not just a
catalyst for movement, it was a liberating force that unleashed
a generation. Through my role at Google I was part of a team
that launched some of their largest brands for the frst time in
the MENA region: YouTube, Google Maps, and Street View to
name a few. But afer three and a half years at the tech giant, it
was time to say goodbye. Why? Because I had a deeper calling
and realized it was time to move on. It was time to go back to
my core values and devote my energy to what I believed in. And
I encourage you to do the same. Become an entrepreneur. The
MENA region presents an oasis of opportunities for entrepre-
neurs, and the marketplace here is thriving like never before.
Our future has never looked brighter, and for proof of that you
only need to look to the youth demographics in the region.
Being an entrepreneur, I see opportunities in MENA everywhere;
THE SWITCH
MAHA ABOUELENEIN
RISK, REWARD AND HOW TO SERVICE YOUR PASSIONS PROPERLY
I QUIT GOOGLE TO BECOME
AN ENTREPRENEUR
in the media industry there has been
a marked shif among journalists,
advertising, blogs and even the tradi-
tional work of the daily sector,
that of the newspaper. The web has
also afected how we do business,
beginning with the methods we
employ to communicate and engage
with customers, build brands,
manage reputations, and vie for the
all-important share of voice and con-
sumer attention. And lets not forget
the impact on society, knowledge and
culture; there is a huge demand for
Arabic content, not just in entertain-
ment, but in education, the arts and
across the sciences. Entrepreneurs
have a huge opportunity to leverage
this and to use this gaping need to
their advantage by impacting social
norms and advancing cross-cultural
understanding.
Along the way, I learned a few things
that I want to share with you as you
leave behind the corporate world -to
proudly be an entrepreneur changing
the world- one idea and one passion
at a time.
BE THE ARCHITECT OF SUCCESS
Believe in yourself, you dont need
a name like Google to feel secure.
Trust yourself. Leaving a job with
fxed income, health insurance and
benefts can be scary, but being the
sole architect of something, and
going on the journey is far more
rewarding and can reap benefts
that go beyond the fnancials. Dont
push your dreams aside. Become the
worlds leading expert in what you
believe in. Prove that to yourself.
Compete with yourself. You must
believe in order to achieve.
REEVALUATE RISK AND REWARD
Taking risks is part of growth and
it can lead to success. While most
people know the former to be true,
they forget to acknowledge that
failing is also part of success. If
you take a risk and it doesnt work,
learn from it and move on. Dont
be afraid to take risks and try new
things, and this involves leaving your
comfort zone and pushing yourself.
Youll be amazed at what you can
do if you challenge yourself. This
isnt to say your risks shouldnt be
calculated, think them through since
taking them at the right time and
place is vital to the outcome. Always
take risks where you are betting on
yourself, thus automatically stacking
the odds in your favor.
PASSION IS A TYPE OF CURRENCY
If you are passionate about
something pursue it. My father was
fond of telling me that if youre
passionate, hard work always pays
of. It might not pay of immediately,
but it garners a return on energy
investment. Being passionate about
something is not about injecting
emotion into your work, it ties back
to your personal values. For example,
Im passionate about helping people
and adding value. If Im not adding
value or creating value, I feel that Im
not properly servicing my passion.
I cant say at what point I became
passionate about communications,
but now I cant see myself doing
anything else. I love examining
campaigns, analyzing strategies,
and building knock out narratives- I
thrive on it! Work hard at servicing
your own passion, and give 110%.
GET ULTRA-EDUCATED ACROSS
DISCIPLINES
As the daughter of an educator, it
was clear to me at an early age that
learning doesnt stop when youve
earned one degree or two or even
a post-doctoral. I have become,
in essence, a life-long learner. Im
always hungry for fresh knowledge
and to absorb the intricacies of
how things work. Youre never
too old or too smart to learn, and
the best entrepreneurs will vouch
that educational opportunities are
everywhere. I learn from people that
I interact with, everyone from my
employees and my clients, to my
friends and my mentors. I also invest
in reading- gleaning as much as I can
to learn from whats out there. Find
a few blogs or authors that you love
to follow and read on your morning
commute or during downtime in
airports. Improve your ground game
by learning when you can. Fill your
white space with the abundance of
learning that is out there and go grab
it! And guess what- learning is free.
Bonus!
ASK YOUR NETWORK FOR
ASSISTANCE
Asking for help is not a sign of
weakness, it is good business.
Let your friends and colleagues
know that youve started your own
business and would appreciate their
support. Youll fnd new business
opportunities, free advice and maybe
an investor. If you need help from
someone in particular, prepare
your asks and be specifc. When
approaching someone for help, give
them all the information they need
to make a decision. Its important
to think through what you need
as the opportunity may only come
once. You want to ensure that you
do your homework and that you are
well-prepared. I have never been in
a situation where I went to someone
for help and they havent been up to
the request; quality people usually
deliver.
As you take of on your wild ride
as an entrepreneur, dont think of
it as losing something or leaving
something behind. Shif perspectives
and think of it as making space for
something new that will inspire you
and broaden the current limitations
of your imagination. Pursue your
ambitions, be persistent, and suc-
cess will follow.
I want your feedback and to hear
about your journey as an entrepre-
neur. I know I can learn something
from you so please reach out to me at
@mahagaber on Twitter. I will sign
of with my personal mantra (which I
usually write on emails to my team).
Stay low, keep moving.
Maha Abouelenein
FIND A FEW BLOGS OR AUTHORS
THAT YOU LOVE TO FOLLOW AND
READ ON YOUR MORNING COMMUTE
OR DURING DOWNTIME IN AIRPORTS.
IMPROVE YOUR GROUND GAME BY
LEARNING WHEN YOU CAN. FILL YOUR
WHITE SPACE WITH THE ABUNDANCE
OF LEARNING THAT IS OUT THERE
AND GO GRAB IT! AND GUESS WHAT-
LEARNING IS FREE.
ASKING FOR HELP IS NOT A
SIGN OF WEAKNESS, IT IS GOOD
BUSINESS. LET YOUR FRIENDS AND
COLLEAGUES KNOW THAT YOUVE
STARTED YOUR OWN BUSINESS
AND WOULD APPRECIATE THEIR
SUPPORT. YOULL FIND NEW
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, FREE
ADVICE AND MAYBE AN INVESTOR.
WHAT IS PPC?
Through programs such as Google
AdWords and Facebook Ads, marketers
specify an amount theyre willing to pay
for each visitor who clicks through to
their sites. They also indicate whether
they want their ads to appear in
search engine results or content blocks
embedded within websites, or both. Its
an auction-style systemthrough which
the advertiser that bids the most for
a targeted keyword receives the most
exposure. Although PPC advertising
may sound simple, plenty of novices
have created campaigns that generate
little click-through action because they
target the wrong keywords or lack a
compelling message.
DO USE nEGATIVE KEYWORDS, TOO.
PPC marketers often fail to use negative
keywords, which allow you to specify
where your ad should not appear. For
example, in our show ideas and baby
shower gift ideas example, the words
baby and gift could be designated
as negative keywords to help eliminate
such irrelevant ad placements.
DO SEPARATE SEARCH AnD
COnTEnT AD PLACEMEnTS. Search
network placement refers to PPC ads
that appear in search query results,
while content network placement
means websites that display PPC ads
as blocks within their pages. Most
new PPC marketers select both the
search and content networks when
they set up their frst campaigns, and
they usually use the same keywords,
ad content and payment amount for
each click. But the specifc queries
and websites that trigger your content
network placements can be signifcantly
different than what yields results on
the search network. Running the same
ads on both networks, therefore, could
cost you money in terms of irrelevant
placements. Although customizing
takes more time and effort, its far
more effcient to tailor your keywords,
ad copy and keyword bids for each
network.
DO EFFICIEnTLY TARGET AD
CAMPAIGnS. Many advertisers arent
precise enough in targeting their
campaigns. To increase effciency, take
advantage of features in PPC accounts
that allow you to specify who sees the
ads. Consider geography and timing
when targeting your campaigns:
> Multiple countries If you plan to
advertise in several countries, set up an
ad group for each. Otherwise, limit your
ad to national placements only- going
across the GCC is benefcial for many
products and services.
> Time of day If your ads generate the
most conversions during a particular
time of day, set themup to run only
during those time periods.
DO MATCH LAnDInG PAGES
TO ADS. Sending a visitor fromyour
PPC ad to an irrelevant landing page not
only disrupts the sales process, but can
also result in the assessment of lower
ad quality scores. That means youll
pay more for each click and receive less
exposure than advertisers with higher
scores. To avoid low relevance ad and
landing page pairings, decrease the
number of keywords. That will help
make your landing pages as relevant as
possible.
DO TRACK YOUR RETURn On
InVESTMEnT. To effectively manage
PPC campaigns and improve your ROI,
you need to know exactly which clicks
are resulting in sales. To generate this
data for free, tie your PPC account to
Google Analytics to track which ads
led visitors to your page and which
visits resulted in sales. Without this
information, you cant adjust your
keyword bids or eliminate less effective
ads and keywords.
CLICK
HERE!
PPC IN BRIEF
F
ew young businesses have
piles of cash for mar-
keting, but Ill take the
challenge of thinking hard
about where to spend marketing
dollars any day. One way weve
had success is with tightly run,
highly measured pay-per-click
(PPC) programs. PPC can be
extremely efective for small
budgets, but it needs to be done
correctly to maximize your
investment.
Before you start a PPC
campaign, fgure out what a
customer is worth to your busi-
ness, and what you are willing to
spend to get that customer. For
example: A customer is worth
about US$100 to my business,
so I amwilling to spend $50
to get that customer. Since no
business can convert every lead,
use a formula based on a conver-
sion rate to determine what
you can pay for leads. In this
example, if you can convert 1 in
10 leads into paying customers,
youd pay $5 per lead. With this
simple formula as a guide, heres
why PPC plus analytics can be a
successful marketing vehicle for
entrepreneurs.
PPC WORKS WITH SMALL
BUDGETS
Author and entrepreneur Seth
Godin said that the big mistake
[that marketers make] is think-
ing that their job is to spend
money to get attention. If they
think that that is what their job
is, they will never ever succeed
in marketing. There is no direct
correlation between budget and
results. If you get a big infusion
of cash and you can triple your
PPC budget, it wont necessarily
triple the volume of same qual-
ity of leads.
> Targeting You can use PPC to
target visitors at all stages of the
buying funnel. Start by focusing
on the key words people type in
when they are ready to buy. The
lower in the funnel, the higher
conversion rate you should
expect. When you add geogra-
phy, time and language, you have
a surefre way to pinpoint your
most qualifed customer.
> Matching Avoid broad match-
ing or youll be paying for
unqualifed clicks that will just
drain your budget. Start with a
modifed broad match to get
higher relevance. Since PPC
is an auction format, price is
driven by demand/value. You
cant overspend when its self-
serve. To avoid losing money on
irrelevant clicks, focus on phrase
or exact match keywords.
TEST A VARIETY OF
MESSAGES
The days of committing to one
version with print brochures
are long gone. PPC is a great way
to test content and combina-
tions of words and messages.
Design tests to measure if youre
increasing relevance of keywords
to ad copy to landing pages.
Think whether the promise from
the ad is delivered consist-
ently on the landing page and
in the headline and body copy.
Weve found rearranging copy
in a headline or changing the
description line from prose to
a customer quote can increase
click-through rates by 8% or
more.
TEST A VARIETY OF
MARKETS
If an ad is working in a certain
market, test the same copy in
another market, but remember
that there are subtle nuances in
each language. For example, the
French word for management
(gestion) implies fnancial
management, so weve added
extra descriptors in our ad copy
to ensure were not paying for
clicks from French visitors
looking to get a handle on their
personal fnances. Its a good
idea to have trusted individuals
who know the native language
review your copy and not only
rely on Google Translate.
TESTS QUICKLY POINT TO
THE RIGHT DIRECTION
More ofen than not, the sim-
plest, briefest version of your
page will be the most efective.
Always start with some basic
best practices, create your hy-
pothesis and then test every-
thing- headline, buttons, video,
CTA placement and so on. Its
a surefre way to validate what
youve learned. Give your tests
enough time to reach a conclu-
sion, then build a new test based
on your fndings. Keep at it even
when you think youve nailed
the perfectly performing cam-
paign and youre exceeding your
expectations.
NUMBERS TRUMP OPINION
AND EMOTION
When funds are tight and every
lead counts, using data instead
of your opinion to make deci-
sions is a lifesaver. Use Google
AdWords and Bing Ads, along
with some sophisticated tools
like GA Content Experiments
and Optimizely combined with
your own analysis, to measure
which market segments are the
most valuable. Double down on
those and turn of those that
are underperforming. Marketing
on a small budget might seem a
tough row to hoe, but there are
ways to get results. A carefully
planned, highly detailed PPC
and metrics program can gener-
ate the results your company
needs without spending an arm
and a leg. As businessman and
author Jack Welch once said,
An organizations ability to
learn, and translate that learn-
ing into action rapidly, is the ul-
timate competitive advantage.
Divvying up your
resources
Making online ads work for small budgets
BlackBerry is expected to
release the much anticipated
Passport smartphone this
fall in the GCC, possibly
even this month. While
cyberspace is abuzz with
speculation about the
device, the square shape
is whats setting most
tongues wagging. Designers
and laypeople alike are
all debating the square
aesthetic in this age of
rectangle smartphones.
According to a leaked list
of specs, the BlackBerry
Passport will feature a
4.5-inch screen with a
resolution of 1440x1440
pixels (453ppi), which will be
protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
The device, supposedly
powered by quad-core
2.2GHz Snapdragon 800
with the Adreno 330
450MHz GPU, is also
expected to come with
3GB of RAM and 32GB of
storage and a microSD card
slot that is expandable up
to 64GB. Other key features
of the device include a 13
megapixel rear camera with
Optical Image Stabilization
(OIS) and a 3450mAh
battery. The Passport has
a condensed QwErTY
keyboard featuring three
rows of alphabet-only keys.
The tech company is hoping
to simultaneously lure back
their once formidable army
of enterprise customers with
the Passport, and square
away the smartphone
market.
SQUARING OFF
BlackBerry Passport gets design
dialogue going
By Brent Frei
By Tamara Clarke
TECH
TIPS FOR PPC NEWBIES
By AJ Kumar
IF AN AD IS WORKING IN A CERTAIN
MARKET, TEST THE SAME COPY IN
ANOTHER MARKET, BUT REMEMBER
THAT THERE ARE SUBTLE NUANCES IN
EACH LANGUAGE.
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SIX POINTS PROMOTING BALANCE FOR YOUR PROFESSIONAL
AND PERSONAL SUCCESSES
I
t was a hot summer night, and I was dressed up
in what I can say was the most ridiculous outft
I ever put on: a suit, a tie, a clean-cut shave, and
a fake smile. Afer a long day of slaving away at my
job with a corporate giant, an evening social event
for work was the cherry on top of the misery cream.
That night, however, would change everything about
me- it was the night I met my mentor. You meet a
lot of people that teach you lessons about things in
life, and its plausible to say that you can learn some-
thing new from every person that ever crosses your
path. So what gives a mentor that title? What sets
them apart from the pack?
MENTORSHIP
CAN CHANGE
YOUR LIFE
LEARN TO APPLY PERCEPTION,
MINDFULNESS AND CONSCIOUSNESS
By Rani Nasr
CULTURE
A mentor will go way out of
their way not only to pass
along wisdom and tutelage, but
also to sculpt you into the best
possible version of yourself.
The night that I met my Master
Splinter, I looked sharp, conf-
dent and energetic- dare I say
maybe even happy to be there?
I wasnt, and my mind was a
vagabond lost in space-time
searching for soil to root. My
creative juices were long gone
with doodles on college tables.
I was doing alright career-wise,
but I couldnt recognize the
person in anymore, and I felt
like a monkey in a penguin suit.
I had only two forms of self-
expression: the professional
voice and the lashing-out voice.
My perception of the world
was square, and my connection
with a bigger picture was only
joke material. That is where my mentor
came in, but she didnt teach me lessons
about life and all that poetic internet
blabber, she taught me how to learn. The
of-repeated (and somewhat clichd)
adage, Give a man a fsh and you feed
him for a day. Teach a man how to fsh
and you feed him for a lifetime, is true.
Heres how I was taught how to fsh by
my mentor in six simple points:
1. CHOOSE YOUR CONDITIONS
Each plant needs the right soil condi-
tions to blossom. This also applies to
us, running around in corporate ofces
chasing our paper dreams. Well never
succeed in an environment not suitable
to what we inherently are as people. A
fsh will never climb a tree, just like a
monkey will never swim around the deep
ocean foor. So I did myself a favour, and
got myself new soil. When my position
ceased to be rewarding and challenge
me, I looked elsewhere, and my new
stomping grounds give me inspiration
and room to grow.
2. ONCE ROOTED, START CREATING
We live in a consumerist culture, handed
everything (including information) on a
silver platter. The lesson I learned here
was to treat creation like lust (I still
didnt know what love was), and work
instinctually on creating what refects
me, on whatever canvas that life and
work presented. Whether it be a tweet,
an article, a melody or even a napkin at
a bar. Just keep constantly creating with
lust-like drive and abandon.
3. BE THE CENTER
Im not the people in my life, Im me.
Blame tech advancement for connecting
us to 1000 times our natural socializing
capacity, inevitably leading us to cross
paths with so many humans we care
about (and many that we dont). This
can over-consume our emotions, and
leave our productive energy tapped dry.
What my mentor taught me was to cre-
ate a mindmap centered around me -be-
cause Im the center of my life- in which
I map all of my human connections
dividing them into circles of priorities.
Focus your energy on whoever you can
and should, and address the rest with
the appropriate energy that you can af-
ford for their particular position in your
universe. This sounds philosophical, but
its really quite practical. Contrary to
popular belief, the human brain is a very
limited machine, so we have to optimize
its energy consumption for maximum
performance.
4. CONVEY IDEAS
Express yourself, but do so productively.
Self-expression is art, and we tend to
overuse that luxury for ego-boosting
purposes. We all feel better imposing
our opinions on others. We all feel better
when we tweet our meal or a political
statement. We all love to win arguments,
but as I stated before were limited in
the amount of energy we can expend.
My mentor pinpointed the obvious fact
that energy spent on winning a useless
argument could have been channeled
into doing something with a higher
purpose, refecting my true self instead
of myself in defance. Once we base our
self-expression on productive purposes,
things will fall like a jigsaw puzzle right
into place.
5. PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING
There is always a bigger picture... and
smaller pictures. We are made of cells
that are made of molecules that are
made of atoms that are made of particles
and so on. Everything is a branch of a
branch of a branch. Determine your po-
sition on the tree of life, the professional
tree, the family tree, whatever tree you
feel like climbing, and contemplate the
bigger picture because thats where
were headed. Learn from the smaller
picture, because thats the ground were
standing on- a lesson I personally found
fascinating. When we observe the bigger
picture we can see how were all con-
nected, and how every little action we
take has a ripple efect on everything and
everyone around us. Heres where I can
apply my previous lessons: If you express
yourself productively through the proper
channels, good things happen. Cause and
efect spreads out over a huge network of
connections, making the good stuf that
you produce fnd their way back to you
in diferent and benefcial forms.
BLAME TECH ADVANCEMENT FOR
CONNECTING US TO 1000 TIMES OUR
NATURAL SOCIALIZING CAPACITY,
INEVITABLY LEADING US TO CROSS
PATHS WITH SO MANY HUMANS WE
CARE ABOUT (AND MANY THAT WE
DONT). THIS CAN OVER-CONSUME
OUR EMOTIONS, AND LEAVE OUR
PRODUCTIVE ENERGY TAPPED DRY.
WHAT MY MENTOR TAUGHT ME
WAS TO CREATE A MINDMAP
CENTERED AROUND ME -BECAUSE
IM THE CENTER OF MY LIFE- IN
WHICH I MAP ALL OF MY HUMAN
CONNECTIONS DIVIDING THEM INTO
CIRCLES OF PRIORITIES.
DETERMINE YOUR POSITION ON
THE TREE OF LIFE, THE
PROFESSIONAL TREE, THE FAMILY
TREE, WHATEVER TREE YOU FEEL
LIKE CLIMBING, AND CONTEMPLATE
THE BIGGER PICTURE BECAUSE
THATS WHERE WERE HEADED.
ENTREPRENEUR 61
INDUSTRY
KNOW-HOW
If youre looking for a job and you love
startups, this might be the place for you.
Founded by Pierre-Alain Masson, Jobooh
is a website platforms that helps jobseek-
ers fnd employment opportunities in
the startup space, and helps startups
fnd skilled team members with a knack
for tech life. With the aim of trying to
close the gap between potential job
seekers and startups, Jobooh is a free
web platform, but users have the option
to boost their accounts by upgrading,
accompanied by a blog pertaining to tips
on working in startups. Jobooh says
that their user base is in 50 countries;
UAE joins the list with ae.jobooh.com
specifcally catered to Arab startups, and
are currently seeking out up and coming
entrepreneurs to raise awareness about
Jobooh in the GCC.
WEB PORTAL JOBOOH
IS DEDICATED TO
sTarTup EmplOYmEnT
OPPORTUNITIES AND
RECRUITMENT
STARTUP
JOB-SEEKERS
IN THE GCC
GET NEW DIGS
CULTURE
6. CONNECT WITH
THE COLLECTIVE MIND
The most important lesson of all can
be summed up in one tiny observa-
tion of nature: A single ant seems
to walk in arbitrary directions, and
ostensibly understands nothing of
its surroundings. If we observe a
colony of ants, its a perfectly tuned
hierarchical machine where every
ant plays a defnitive role that helps
keep the machine rolling with tight
group maintenance, achieving what
seems impossible for a single ant.
We can achieve anything with the
power of a synergetic collective
mind. This lesson applies to every
aspect of life, professional, social
and even as a species in general;
think as a collective for were lim-
ited as individuals.
By opening my eyes on these six
points of focus, my mentor didnt
need to teach me lessons anymore.
Whenever Im in doubt or lost or at
a crossroads in life, I go over these
points helping to balance all aspects
of my life and career. Its worth
mentioning that my mentor was a
yogi and these points map to the
points of balance or chakras of the
Kundalini energy, which might have
been pure coincidence or an act of
deliberate wisdom, but does it really
matter? I am now who I want to be
when I grow up. That achievement is
not measured by money or business
cards or LinkedIn connections it
is measured with perception, mind-
fulness and consciousness.
Rani Nasr is a Digital Planner with Born
Interactive, an independent new media
agency dedicated to offering creative,
innovative, state-of-the-art digital and
interactive communication solutions
and experiences. Active on the digital
marketing frontier for 18 years, Born
Interactive works with multi-industry and
multi-national clients of all sizes, to meet
the evolving needs of local, regional, and
global institutional and corporate clients.
Happiness, available at Lulu.
We at Lulu have always been trying to
widen our network, expand our range,
innovate our promotions and improve
our service so that more than 570,000
shoppers who come to our 106 stores
across the region daily, get exactly
what they want,
Happiness!
Ranked as No.1 Hypermarket Chain in the region by PlanetRetail UK.
INDUSTRY
KNOW-HOW
Doing a few things differently
will help me help you
W
hether we like it or not, PR agencies
need editors and vice versa. The former
need to promote their client develop-
ments, and the latter need new material every
month or week or even day (depending on the
frequency of the medium). It can be a cynical,
unpleasant and hypocritical relationship, but I
know that it doesnt have to be that way since
Ive liaised with some real PR pros. As someone
who has worked for several years at one end of
the spectrum, Im sad to say that more ofen
than not, work got done under stress and feelings
of animosity yes, animosity- towards an agency
that simply could not understand how to help
me help them.
Here are some issues that
Ive personally come across
as an editor. If these things
were attended to properly, it
would strengthen media-
agency collaborations and be
an all-around better situa-
tion for everyone involved-
your clients included.
1. RESEARCH
A. TARGETING
Dear Sir/Madam You
should know whether Im a
sir or a madam. My name is
in the email address. If my
name causes gender-confu-
sion, just address me by my
name and drop the saluta-
tion. The template emails
you send are degrading- if
were making an efort to
have a relationship with you,
then you should address us
properly the same way that
we address you. This just
shows that you regularly go
on an email-sending spree
with little to no regard who
youre contacting, hop-
ing someone at the other
end will pick it up. Under
targeting errors, you can add
pitching me a story when
two months prior I covered
that very same thing. If you
dont know that Ive written
an 850-word piece about
your client not 60 days ago,
then you arent in the loop.
Most ofen I reply to these
emails like this: Perhaps
you missed the coverage of X
that I did last month. Here is
the link X.
B. RELEVANCE
Dear Partner, Wed like
to invite you to the launch
of [insert fast-food brand]
34th branch grand opening!
Thats great for you guys,
but Im a fashion editor and
thats not a fashion show. I
dont understand why Im
invited or how youd expect
me to write about your new
F&B venture. Youre not
supposed to contact every
single editor in your country
regardless of their audience
and medium. We write for
our readers and generally
stick to our outlets iden-
tity and aims, whether you
acknowledge that or not.
Trying your luck randomly
is annoying, and youre
wasting your time and ours.
When we need information
regarding a certain product,
we research to fnd out
which agency is handling
that particular companys
PR. We dont send requests
to every single contact that
we have, and it makes sense
for you to do the same.
C. CONTACTS
Im sorry, who are you?
Which newspaper? Im
the person you sent nine
emails to yesterday, and
Im not with a newspaper.
Of course, all of the emails
are addressed Sir/Madam
and of course, most of them
werent suitable for my au-
dience, but I do expect you
to know (even vaguely) who
youve contacted. Your atti-
tude and randomness make
me not want to work with
you- even when Im dying
to get that interview. Editor
instincts are usually right;
when we have an immediate
inkling that youre unpro-
fessional and that working
long-term with you will
be painful, its usually not
worth our time and efort.
2. INFORMATION
EXCHANGE
Ive personally seen it thou-
sands of times literally-
and Ive heard colleagues
complain about it for years.
I dont know how many
times were supposed to ask:
Please, for the love of eve-
rything dear to your heart,
send us a press release
with enough information
and relevant visuals. Dont
waste our time downloading
and reading a fle that only
contains the name of the
product and the company
launching it, alongside a few
quotes by famous people
(who are these people?!).
We need options of both
portrait and landscape visu-
als in high resolution; we
need contact information
should we decide to proceed
with an interview. Editors
receive hundreds of press
releases daily and believe
me, we usually choose to
deal with the agencies that
acknowledge and respect
basic rules of information
exchange. The other extreme
is just as irritating: a dozen
update releases are not
needed. Overkill can also
come in the form of interest-
ing information buried
under layers of unnecessary
facts and fgures- unfortu-
nately it will probably stay
buried.
3. DERELICTION
OF DUTY
When we ask for certain
information and you take a
week to respond, that slot
is going to someone else
who delivered quickly and
efciently. What you can
do is send an acknowledge-
ment letting us know that
youre working on procuring
the material. Your sched-
ule is busy and so is ours.
When we send a press query
and you simply ignore us,
and then contact us for
something else two months
later, theres a good chance
we wont follow up either.
Youre supposed to answer
your emails, and you think-
ing our initial ofer wasnt
interesting enough doesnt
give you the right to not
do your job. This is about
building a relationship with
people in the media- its a
mutually benefcial thing
because once Ive worked
with you successfully for
one media outlet, chances
are I will contact you when
Im at my next. As an aside,
when you send us an email
interview, give it the once
over. Correct basic gram-
mar and spelling mistakes
since we wont bother using
something like this: We r
intrested in making z city,
a better place- its just not
acceptable. When we tell
you our deadline is on the
20th of the month, do not
send us material late and
expect it to go live since you
fubbed our deadline and its
a trickle-down efect. We
will not push our deadline
for you and risk our busi-
ness and let down loyal
readers who expect us to be
consistent.
TREPONOMICS
THE TIES
THAT BIND
By Youmna Chagoury
YOUR SCHEDULE IS BUSY AND
SO IS OURS. WHEN WE SEND
A PRESS QUERY AND YOU
SIMPLY IGNORE US, AND THEN
CONTACT US FOR SOMETHING
ELSE TWO MONTHS LATER,
THERES A GOOD CHANCE WE
WONT FOLLOWUP EITHER.
Crowdfunding has fundamen-
tally disrupted the way that
artists fund their creative proj-
ects and startups get capital
to grow. Now, its changing the
way buildings are purchased.
The Middle East has yet to
catch up to this new startup
wave, but its in the cards.
Someones just got to fgure
out how to adapt these models
to the MENA region.
North American investors are
eagerly backing a variety of
new real estate crowdfunding
platforms, all of which aim to
bring greater transparency,
efciency and access to the
industry. In late March of this
year, Beverly Hills, California-
based Realty Mogul announced
a US$9 million funding round
led by Canaan Partners, the
same venture capital frm that
has invested in peer-to-peer
lending platform Lending Club
and dating site Match.com.
In the same week, Palo Alto,
California-based RealCrowd
said it secured $1.6 million in
a seed round from investors at
Y Combinator, the Data Col-
lective and a mix of real-estate
developers. In mid-March,
Atlanta-based Groundfoor
announced it raised $300,000
from American Underground,
Bandwidth Labs and a couple
of angel investors in the region.
For the real estate market,
internet-based transactions
represent a huge innovation.
Historically, for a real estate
deal to close, lawyers would
have to ship documents back
and forth, says David Drake,
chairman of VictoriaGlobal.
co, a communications platform
specializing in institutional
investing and crowdfnancing.
Not only is that slow, but it can
also add up to tens of thou-
sands of dollars in legal fees.
Crowdfunding online sidesteps
all of that, Drake says.
Real estate crowdfunding puts
more deals in front of more
potential investors. We have
clients that say, We would
have never ever found these
investors without crowdfund-
ing. Because we would never
have known who to call- in
London! We have no idea who
to call back in New York, says
Drake. You are expanding
communication through the
internet.
Another reason venture
capital dollars are fowing
into real estate crowdfunding
startups now: the public has
warmed to the idea of making
investments online. What was
once a new concept has taken
of in a big way these last few
years, with the Securities and
Exchange Commission even
making regulatory changes to
expand crowdfundings po-
tential. People, over the past
fve years, have become more
and more comfortable with the
fact that they can participate
in these crowdfunding sites,
says Hrach Simonian, a
partner at Canaan Partners,
the venture capital frm that
recently invested in Realty
Mogul.
Y
ou may not have the formal business
training acquired through in-market
experience, but the basics can be learned
quickly enough. Focusing on these essential
elements gives you a pretty good idea of where to
go, and how to get there by wading into property
investments with your awareness directed at
caveats and potential hazard scenarios. If youve
had in-market experience from being part of
a corporation in real estate, use this guide as
a refresher since youre ostensibly working
with way less capital and reduced legal clout
than the company you left when you joined the
entrepreneurial ranks. Property can make you
money- even if you only want to make partial
investments and not become a full-edged part
of the industry.
> MARKET INDICATOR TIPS
> CAUTIONARY CIRCUMSTANCES
> LEGAL LOGISTICS
> TRENDS IN PROPERTY VALUE
> REAL ESTATE STARTUPS
> CROWDFUNDING LAND
OWNERSHIP
> CONSTRUCTION CONSISTENCY
Venture capital, property, and how
theyre making money
Real estate is crowdfundings
next hot frontier
ByCatherineCliford
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TAKE YOUR FIRST
STEPS FORWARD, ITS
TIME TO TAKE PART
IN THE GCC BUILDING
BOOM
PROPERTY
PUNDITS
REAL ESTATE
ENTREPRENEURS
[THE HOW-TO]
COMPANY REALTY MOGUL
HEADQUARTERS BEVErlY
HILLS, CALIFORNIA
MONEY RAISED $10.1 million
www.realtymogul.com
With Realty Mogul, ac-
credited investors pool their
resources and buy shares of
investment properties. Ac-
credited investors have to be
making at least $200,000
a year or have net worth of
more than $1 million, accord-
ing to the SEC. Eligible inves-
tors browse through real
estate investment options
online and track their various
investments with a Realty
Mogul dashboard. As of
April, almost $15 million has
been invested on Realty Mo-
gul in 58 properties through
14 states. Investing with Re-
alty Mogul is an alternative
to investing through what
are called REITs, or real es-
tate investment trusts. REITs
are also pooled real estate
investments. Some REITs
are publicly traded, meaning
fuctuations on Wall Street
affect the value of an inves-
tors holding. The difference
between buying a portion of
a REIT and investing with the
Realty Mogul crowdfunding
platform is that an investor
knows exactly which build-
ings he or she is investing in.
This means that an investor
has more control in his or her
real estate investment deci-
sions. Typical investments on
Realty Mogul are apartment
buildings, offce buildings,
retail shopping centers, self-
storage facilities and pools
of single family homes. An
investor with Realty Mogul
purchases a portion of an
LLC managed by Realty
Mogul or a portion of a real
estate-backed loan owned by
Realty Mogul. Another rea-
son an investor would want
to invest in real estate with
Realty Mogul as opposed to
through a REIT is because of
a U.S. tax beneft. In a REIT,
any deduction in assets is
absorbed by the REIT. With
a Realty Mogul investment,
an individual investor is
eligible to claim real estate
depreciations on his or her
taxes, decreasing the bill to
the government, points out
Simonian of Canaan Part-
ners. Canaan Partners likes
the idea of niche crowdfund-
ing startups, having invested
in Realty Mogul as well as
Circle Up, a crowdfunding
platform that helps con-
sumer product entrepreneurs
raise money to grow their
businesses. Entrepreneurs
running niche crowdfund-
ing sites become treasure
troves of information on the
players in the space, which
Canaan Partners considers
benefcial. You can really
build knowledge and you can
use the data to predict better
performing assets over bad
ones, says Simonian. You
can get smarter and better
at predicting defaults, things
that go belly-up.
How it makes money
Realty Mogul charges a 1% to
2% annual fee for administra-
tive services such as reporting,
cash fow distributions and tax
documentation.
COMPANY REALCROWD
HEADQUARTERS PALO
ALTO, CALIFORNIA
MONEY RAISED $1.6 million
www.realcrowd.com
RealCrowd gives accredited
investors access to the sort
of investment options that
are typically only available to
real estate managing compa-
nies in the United States. On
the companys FAQ page, the
one-word summary of why
investors would need to use
RealCrowd is access. These
are deals that, without the
internet services provided
by real estate crowdfund-
ing, most investors would
very likely never know about.
That access is exactly the
appeal to the investors who
are backing RealCrowd.
Theres the potential for
great returns, sure, but
ultimately its new access
to a new investment that
makes up a section of a
healthy, diverse portfolio,
says Alexis Ohanian, the
co-founder of reddit and an
investor in RealCrowd. The
number of real estate-based
crowdfunding platforms has
accelerated in recent years
because of the development
in technology and increased
public acceptance, but also
because of recent regulatory
changes, says RealCrowd
co-founder Adam Hooper. In
September, the SEC formally
lifted the decades-long ban
on general solicitation.
Prior to the rule change,
an entrepreneur could not
try to raise money from an
investor that he or she didnt
have an existing relationship
with. Investment opportu-
nities were held within this
bubble of investors, these
small networks of inves-
tors, and nobody outside
of that network could ever
participate, says Hooper.
With entrepreneurs now able
to publicize their efforts to
raise money, there has been
a massive reallocation of
how people can access these
opportunities, he says.
Properties on the RealCrowd
platform are geographically
diverse, running from San
Francisco to D.C. to Arizona
and Alabama, says Hooper.
It really opens up access
to people who would never
even have the ability to really
even know that these offers
even existed. Real estate
investments on RealCrowd
are generally worth more
than $10 million and are
offce buildings or apart-
ment portfolio complexes.
When the SEC fnalizes
rules for equity crowdfund-
ing among non-accredited
investors, demand for sites
like RealCrowd is expected
to increase. As we see
more legislation to open up
crowd-investing to a larger
market, there could come
a time when citizens arent
just fguratively invested in
their communities, but liter-
ally as well, says Ohanian.
How it makes money
Real estate managing compa-
nies pay a fee to RealCrowd
when they are connected with
investors. Investors pay nothing
to RealCrowd.
COMPANY GROUNDFLOOR
HEADQUARTERS RALEIGH,
NORTH CAROLINA
MONEY RAISED $300,000
www.groundoor.us
Groundfoor bills itself as
a peer-to-peer real estate
lending marketplace. Unlike
the previous two real estate
crowdfunding startups,
non-accredited investors can
participate on the platform.
While investments on
RealtyMogul and RealCrowd
start at $5,000, invest-
ments with Groundfoor
start at $100. Until the SEC
fnalizes and formalizes the
rules for equity crowdfund-
ing, only accredited investors
can participate in real-estate
crowdfunding across state
borders. That said, a handful
of states, including Georgia,
have passed laws legalizing
equity crowdfunding inside
their state. As such, Ground-
foor solicits investments
from all Georgia residents.
Our investments are open
to participation by everyone
regardless of wealth or
income, says Brian Dally,
the co-founder and CEO of
Groundfoor. We believe
fnancial opportunity should
be equal and open to all.
While there is nothing wrong
with connecting wealthy
investors with more op-
portunities for their money,
thats not what gets us up in
the morning. We see more
challenge, more good to be
created in the world and
more market opportunity
creating a true mass market
product available to all.
The frst two properties that
Groundfoor funded were an
$82,000 single-family home
fx-and-fip renovation and a
$440,000 new construction
of four townhome units for
sale in the Atlanta suburb.
How it makes money
Groundfoor earns money
from borrowers who pay fees
based on the amount of money
raised.
ITS THE REAL
DEAL, YO
Three freshly-funded real estate
crowdfunding startups
PROPERTY
PUNDITS
REAL ESTATE ENTREPRENEURS
ESTABLISHING AN OFFSHORE
COMPANY CAN SIGNIFICANTLY
CHANGE THINGS
Most landlords and real estate
investors know that owning
rental property ofers one
of the best opportunities to
build a steady stream of cash
fow and capture long-term
appreciation. The big question
is how to go from deciding to
purchase a rental property
to actually renting your unit
and managing the day-to-day
activities of being a landlord.
Here are some important steps
that will help make the process
run more smoothly and protect
your long-term interests:
1. FIND TENANTS OR MEET
THE CURRENT ONES If your
property already has tenants,
take the time to meet them
personally. Talk to them about
how they like living in the unit
and fnd out if there are any
outstanding issues theyd like
resolved. Review their exist-
ing lease, but remember that
youre bound by the terms of
the current agreement. You
cant make any changes in
rental rates or terms until the
lease expires. If you need to
fnd tenants for your prop-
erty, stick to the basics when
advertising- print ads, online
sources, signs, fyers and bul-
letin boards. Determine your
target market and advertise
accordingly. For instance, if
you post your ad around col-
leges or universities, youll
likely attract mostly college
students. Highlight features
thatll appeal to likely ap-
plicants based on where your
unit is located. For example, if
youre renting a family fat in a
location with a lot of families,
you might want to highlight
the proximity or reputations
of nearby schools or parks. Be
sure to avoid violating housing
laws- consult a professional if
you are having difculty deter-
mining the legalities.
2. SCREEN POTENTIAL
TENANTS Once youve found
a potential tenant, dont make
the mistake of skipping the
screening stage. Performing a
thorough check of each quali-
fed applicants history is criti-
cal to securing reliable tenants
wholl take care of your prop-
erty and pay the rent in the
agreed-upon timeframe. Over-
looking this step puts your
investment at risk and poten-
tially could result in countless
headaches and costs down the
road. Screen potential tenants
for criminal and credit issues,
as well as employment and
rental history. Do ask for char-
acter references, and do your
homework.
3. knOw YOur rIGHTs,
anD YOur TEnanT rIGHTs
Protect your investment and
your sanity by studying up on
what the rules are in terms
of property. This point is
especially important. Whether
youre renting your unit to
a family member (which, by
the way, isnt usually a good
idea), a friend of a friend, or
a person who passed your
screening with fying colors,
have your tenant sign a lease
that satisifes all of the legal
parameters for both parties.
Some things to discuss with
your tenant are acceptable
forms of payment, potential
damage fees and fnes, and
who is responsible for what in
terms of renovations and re-
pairs. Avoid oral agreements at
all costs. You should also spell
out your policies on guests,
noise and things like tech
installations, for instance. In
the Middle East, people ofen
dont discuss pet and smoking
policies- if either of these con-
cern you, make sure to address
them upfront. Ensure that
your terms are agreed to and
signed by your tenant. There
are many important rules you
want your tenant to follow, so
be sure to share those with any
new tenants.
4. manaGE THE DaY-TO-
DaY IssuEs Managing your
property daily by yourself can
easily turn into a full-time
job. How involved you are in
the day-to-day operations will
depend on how much time you
have, how handy you are and
how close in proximity you
are to your rental property. An
alternative is hiring a property
manager to take care of some
or all of the day-to-day issues.
Property managers can be full
service or help with issues
ranging from fnding and
screening tenants to handling
a pipe burst in the middle
of the night. They also can
take care of the landscaping,
collecting rent and sending
appropriate notices. The cost
will eat into your profts, but
could save you time, hassle
and aggravation.
5. HANDLE RENEWALS AND
EVICTIONS Renewals are
the easiest way to maintain
a steady income fow from
your rental property. The cost
of searching for and signing
new tenants signifcantly out-
weighs most costs you might
incur to keep good tenants.
With this in mind, consider
replacing worn carpets or ap-
pliances and applying a fresh
coat of paint to keep a good
tenant happy at renewal time.
A small increase in rent might
be easier for tenants to accept
if they feel theyre getting
something in return, like a
new fridge or refurbishment.
Evictions are tricky, and the
rules for evicting a tenant are
a minefeld. If youre unsure
of how to get rid of a tenant
who wont leave, seek legal
advice immediately. Along the
way, you should keep good
records so you have evidence
of your claim and send the
required notices on time.
Eviction proceedings can be
time-consuming and expen-
sive, which is why you should
screen your tenants carefully
and work to hold on to good
ones. Being a landlord requires
work. It can be rewarding and
proftable, as well as exhaust-
ing and frustrating at the same
time. By following the steps
outlined above, youll have an
even greater chance of being
successful.
From what began as a edgling real estate
industry way back in the early part of this century,
the emirate of Dubai had denitely grown in
leaps and bounds through the years, with its
rapid growth halted only by the crippling global
nancial crisis. And although the scars left by
the property crash remain visible today, late in
2012, the Dubai property market began its slow
but sure movement into recovery, with the pace
rapidly increasing in the second half of 2013 and
continuing well into early 2014.
From this standpoint, we can see that Dubai
remains a top contender when it comes to real
estate investment. But how, exactly, does one
get to own property in Dubai and are there any
inheritance issues in this jurisdiction?
DUBAI
REAL ESTATE
LEGAL INS
AND OUTS OF
OWNERSHIP
ByNitaMaru
Master the rental process from advertising your property
to lease renewal ByScott Brueggeman
PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS
LANDLORD BASICS
PROPERTY
PUNDITS
FREEHOLD VS. LEASEHOLD
In Dubai, property ownership is pretty
straightforward, any person, whether a
UAE national or an expat, and whether
based overseas or currently residing in
Dubai, can buy property designated as
freehold in the Dubai property market.
These specifc designated areas are set
by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum, and interested buyers
are not required to hold any type of
residency or similar permit in order to
purchase property. When you buy a
freehold property, you buy the asset as
such which thus implies absolute own-
ership of the property asset. Examples of
freehold property are those develop-
ments in Dubailand, Emirates Living,
Jumeirah Golf Estates, Palm Jumeirah,
Dubai Marina, Jumeirah Lakes Towers,
The Greens, and many others. There
are also parts of the city where there
are only specifc properties which are
designated freehold.
On the other hand, leasehold basically
means that you are buying the leasehold
rights which are renewable afer a
period of, say, 30 years to 99 years. In
this scenario, the leasehold contract is
your asset, and in cases of leasehold, the
landlord still has the legal obligation to
maintain areas designated as common
property (in the case of a community),
and developers cannot just charge a
community fee and then disappear
one day. Areas with leasehold property
abound in Dubai, key among which
are the Dubai International Financial
Centre, Business Bay, Deira, and many
others.
In either case, whether a property is
freehold or on leasehold, the developer
may allow for (or the law itself as in the
case of the Strata Law) the formation of
an association of lease-
hold or freehold owners
to administer or manage
the development and
address all maintenance,
security and other key
issues. Whether you are
a freehold or leasehold
owner, there are stream-
lined procedures and
legal documents required
to ensure you have full
legal ownership of the
property or leasehold
contract.
SOME INHERITANCE
PROBLEMS OF PROPERTY
OWNERSHIP
Disputes, misunderstandings and dis-
agreements are part and parcel of life,
more so when it comes to property own-
ership, especially in relation to matters
of inheritance. In the UAE, inheritance
for Muslim nationals is guided by Sharia
laws, while the law of the deceaseds
home country can be applied for non-
Muslim expatriates. However, there
are many uncertainties regarding real
estate inheritance issues. Unlike other
jurisdictions, the UAE does not practice
right of survivorship (property passing
on to surviving joint owner upon death
of the other, as would be the case in
Commonwealth jurisdictions), and the
local courts will need to make the fnal
decisions.
Matters of inheritance coming before
the Dubai courts are heard by one or
more judges, and juries are not used.
Furthermore, unlike in some Western
jurisdictions, there is no system of
precedent in Dubai or in the UAE. Here
in Dubai, a property owners best legal
recourse in avoiding the abovemen-
tioned complications would be through
succession planning and/or by setting
up an ofshore company. The UAE is one
of the best jurisdictions in the world
for incorporating an ofshore company
because it is a tax-free business terri-
tory, and has strict policies on privacy
and confdentiality. The UAE does not
have agreements concerning mandatory
exchange of information about its of-
shore companies which are also exempt
from paying corporate taxes. Many
international corporations as well as
expatriate entrepreneurs feel secure,
comfortable and confdent about estab-
lishing ofshore companies in the UAE.
An ofshore company can act as an
intermediary or holding company for
private wealth or business interests.
It is not mandatory for an ofshore
company to have a physical ofce, and
neither is the physical presence of
all shareholders required during its
incorporation. There is no obligation to
maintain records or books, and there
is no public record of the sharehold-
ers or directors, which ensures full
confdentiality. And fnally, it provides
a legal framework for the safety and
security of joint, multiple, or diverse
investments. But most importantly for
expatriates, the structure of an ofshore
company located outside the UAE al-
lows full private ownership of assets
including property located in the UAE
(including Dubai, subject to additional
structuring). This ensures appropriate
passage, in the event of death.
OFFSHORE COMPANIES
AND SHARIA
Property owned by an ofshore com-
pany outside the UAE is not subject
to Sharia law for the distribution of
assets afer death, because technically,
a company cannot die, even when an
individual shareholder does. Property
and assets owned by individuals are
subject to probate and may be con-
tested. Assets which are legally owned
by a company need not be subject
to probate and are less likely to be
contested. As a result, assets can pass
outside probate or an unfavourable
legal jurisdiction without the delay and
cost usually associated with winding up
an estate afer an individual has passed
away. Once an ofshore company has
been established, assets, including real
estate, can be transferred from an indi-
vidual to the company. The procedure
will vary depending on the nature of
the assets. The process of setting up
an ofshore company and the transfer
of assets should be handled by experts,
who can advise in the round, to avoid
complications and to ensure a success-
ful outcome. Transferring the titles of
assets to an ofshore company means
that the original owner no longer vis-
ibly controls these assets, and they
cannot be seized in cases of insolvency,
taxation, marital proceedings or profes-
sional negligence.
Once an ofshore company has been
established, property title deeds can be
transferred from an individual to the
company for a small fee- as long as
the benefciaries remain the same with-
out additions or deletions in the list of
owners. The process of setting up an
ofshore company must be directed by
experts to avoid complications, but it is
achieved quickly. Ultimately, when you
are faced with an actual property prob-
lem identifed to be a contentious issue,
there is nothing like having a qualifed
legal professional on hand to advise you
in identifying what would be your best
legal recourse.
Nita Maru, British
qualifed solicitor
and Managing
Partner of TWS
Legal Consultants,
has over 16 years
of experience at
senior positions
held in London and
the UAE. Nita has a
British law degree,
and is a member
of The Law Society of England and Wales. She also
holds a full Legal Consultancy license from the Gov-
ernment of Dubai Legal Affairs Department and is a
registered lawyer with the DIFC Courts. Nita is also
an active member of the Entrepreneurs Organization
(EO) in Dubai. She is well-known for her personal yet
professional approach to resolving real problems
faced by real people. www.twslegal.ae
If you are someone who has given up on
the dream of real estate investment, before
even giving it a serious look, consider that
construction and development is on the rise.
More than ever, entrepreneurs are moving
into real estate. Whether youll be making
your frst buy or maximizing your portfolios
earning potential by outsourcing the hassle
of property management, and let an out-of-
sight, out-of-mind real estate investment
pay dividends, its time to take advantage of
this market.
One sound piece of advice? Dont miss the
lucrative bottom bounce. The best time to
purchase stock is when it has bottomed out
and is rebounding upwards; I like to call this
the bottom bounce. After the market lows
weve witnessed, things improved quickly
and dramatically. With housing prices rising
steadily this year, its an ideal time to invest
in a rental property, both from a personal
fnance perspective and from a smart busi-
ness investment one. Keep in mind, the ear-
lier you act, the more money you will accrue.
Its pretty clear that rental prices are soar-
ing, even with regulation. With demand
driving up costs, rental prices are moving up.
This spike in demand is highly benefcial for
property investors who will see their invest-
ments appreciate, as well as earning steady
monthly returns. It doesnt have to be a
headache anymore, you can be a stress-free
landlord. With technology-based solutions
and the rise of service-oriented businesses,
the bulk of the work takes a fraction of the
time and energy. There are two options: You
can either offoad this entirely to a reputable
property manager or you can do it alone, us-
ing apps and online software to market your
properties, collect rent and analyze your
investments.
Its time to make your move! Ive seen
frst-hand how the wealth from income
properties can transform lives, families and
futures.
REAL ESTATE CAN MAKE YOU MONEY
START SMALL BUT
START NOW
ByBrentonHayden
PROPERTY OWNED BY AN OFFSHORE
COMPANY OUTSIDE THE UAE IS NOT
SUBJECT TO SHARIA LAW FOR
THE DISTRIBUTION OF ASSETS AFTER
DEATH, BECAUSE TECHNICALLY,
A COMPANY CANNOT DIE, EVEN WHEN
AN INDIVIDUAL SHAREHOLDER DOES
ANY PERSON, WHETHER A UAE
NATIONAL OR AN EXPAT, AND
WHETHER BASED OVERSEAS OR
CURRENTLY RESIDING IN DUBAI,
CAN BUY PROPERTY DESIGNATED
AS FREEHOLD IN THE DUBAI
PROPERTY MARKET
MATTERS OF INHERITANCE COMING
BEFORE THE DUBAI COURTS ARE
HEARD BY ONE OR MORE JUDGES,
AND JURIES ARE NOT USED.
FURTHERMORE, UNLIKE IN SOME
WESTERN JURISDICTIONS, THERE
IS NO SYSTEM OF PRECEDENT IN
DUBAI OR IN THE UAE
THE STRUCTURE OF AN OFFSHORE
COMPANY LOCATED OUTSIDE
THE UAE ALLOWS FULL PRIVATE
OWNERSHIP OF ASSETS INCLUDING
PROPERTY LOCATED IN THE UAE
(INCLUDING DUBAI, SUBJECT TO
ADDITIONAL STRUCTURING). THIS
ENSURES APPROPRIATE PASSAGE,
IN THE EVENT OF DEATH
PROPERTY
PUNDITS
Freehold villa community, Villa Lantana,
located next to UmmSequimRoad in
Al Barsha South was recently announced by
TECOMInvestments. Construction is currently
underway with project completion set
rienced resources. Without
the right planning and man-
agement, costs can quickly
spiral out of control, delays
can build, and the business
soon fnds itself headed for
serious trouble.
With so many contractors
bidding for one project, and
the client ofen choosing
the lowest bidder -mean-
ing projects are booked by
contractors with razor-thin
margins- even a slight error
in scope management, cost
estimation or scheduling
can take a project from
proftable to being an
exercise in fnancial loss.
Its not only the accounting
staf that should be aware
of cost, every project team
member should also know
the importance of fnancial
factors, and how it can
make a project a resounding
success or a big failure. Its
never too late for engineers
to understand the impor-
tance of cost, and this falls
to senior management to
keep them in the loop. Proj-
ect managers should insist
upon (and obtain) detailed
and accurate interim proj-
ect fnancial reports from
commercial and accounts
department on a monthly
basis, and such reports
should be studied in detail
by the project team. When
things are going awry?
Then the next course of
action is that the required
corrective measures should
be taken on time every
single time- this is nipping
potential issues in the bud
before they become large-
scale problems.
One of the key areas of
weakness amongst con-
struction professionals is a
lack of awareness on good
accounting principles and
policies, particularly relat-
ing to prudent cost moni-
toring and controls. This is
achieved through means of
interim revenue recogni-
tion and expense analysis
in line with International
Accounting Standards
(IAS) or Generally Accepted
Accounting Principles
(GAAP). The recipe for
success in the construction
industry is managing cost,
schedule and risks through
strong project management
processes, good communi-
cation skills, and a stable,
skilled workforce.
A simple rule of thumb to
follow? Remain as vigilant
and careful at every stage of
the project as you are at the
beginning, and the chances
of construction success as
much more likely.
WITHOUT THE RIGHT
PLANNING AND
MANAGEMENT, COSTS
CAN QUICKLY SPIRAL OUT
OF CONTROL, DELAYS
CAN BUILD, AND THE
BUSINESS SOON FINDS
ITSELF HEADED FOR
SERIOUS TROUBLE.
T
he construction
industry is certainly
not for the faint of
heart. Due to the client pre-
ferred procurement model
to appoint contractors on
lump sum contracts, and
in arrangements where the
client appoints and pays
the consultant to oversee
contractor-performance,
the dice is heavily loaded
against the contractor
thereby exposing contractor
to all kinds of risks. In the
latter example, there are of-
ten lopsided contract claus-
es that can be efectively
used against the interests
of the contractor- exposing
them to all sorts of legal
issues. To efectively man-
age and safely mitigate risk,
contractors require high
levels of experience, expert
knowledge in handling
contractual issues, and
problem-solving skills at all
levels within the company.
This large amount of risk,
together with low industry
margins is undoubtedly a
major reason why construc-
tion industry has one of the
highest failure rates.
Industry statistics say
that over 80% of contrac-
tors fail within the frst two
years of entry, and there
is no guarantee that even
established entities will not
fail. In addition to external
factors, there are internal
factors that may perpetu-
ate failure. A few of these
internal problems? Poor
business practices, undisci-
plined lust for growth, weak
management, poor execu-
tion, inadequate funding,
inability to keep overhead
expenses low, lack of sound
accounting practices, mov-
ing into new geographic
areas without doing proper
due-diligence studies, lack
of local market knowledge,
failure to secure support
from established local
companies for joint venture
operations the list is end-
less. Construction projects
are usually complex, hence
they require a broad range
of highly skilled and expe-
ByM. VasanthKumar
M. Vasanth Kumar
is Group CEO and Board Member
of Al Malki Holdings Qatar
ITS NOT ONLY THE ACCOUNTING STAFF THAT
SHOULD BE AWARE OF COST, EVERY MEMBER
OF PROJECT TEAM SHOULD ALSO KNOW THE
IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL FACTORS, AND
HOW IT CAN MAKE A PROJECT A RESOUNDING
SUCCESS OR A BIG FAILURE.
ONE OF THE KEY
AREAS OF WEAKNESS
AMONGST CONSTRUCTION
PROFESSIONALS IS A
LACK OF AWARENESS
ON GOOD ACCOUNTING
PRINCIPLES AND
POLICIES, PARTICULARLY
RELATING TO PRUDENT
COST MONITORING AND
CONTROLS.
PROPERTY
PUNDITS
Bhomes.com | UAE, Qatar,
Oman, KSA
Bhomes.coms search engine
autosuggests different com-
munities in an area, helping you
to narrow down your choices.
Theres also an interactive
map to search properties by
indicating the scope of search. It
includes options to buy, rent, sell,
landlords to place a listing and
property management services.
PERKS Short stay rentals are also
available for business travelers
and, if youre on the lookout for
agents, you can scrutinize their
profles.
Home sweet home
FIVE SITES FOR REAL ESTATE
HUNTING IN GCC
PropertyFinder.ae | UAE,
Qatar, Bahrain
Besides buying and renting
search options, it shows com-
mercial properties, agents
searchable by city/community
and its statistics of properties
worldwide. If youre swamped,
theres a call and email button
on search results when clicked,
it will automatically show their
contact details without leaving
the page. You can also add
keywords such as pool and
parking to help your search.
PERKS A mortgage calculator is
available on the sidebar as well
as location and contact details of
a propertys agent are shown.
GNProperty.com | UAE
Besides usual specifcations in
its search results, GN Property
also shows open house viewing
options, an interactive map with
number of properties in an area
and featured agents contact
details on the sidebar. The site
also displays market trends, real
estate and property tips and
news.
PERKS Its mobile site is quite
user-friendly, perfect for users
considering the idea of buy-
ing or renting a property, and
searching on their smartphones.
Lamudi.com | KSA
Featured on TechCrunch and
TNW, Germanys Lamudi roused
the market last year for col-
laborating with other real estate
service companies such as home
furnishing retailers. Dont want
to leave the search result page?
No problem, users can receive
email alerts for specifed search
specifcations as new properties
join the listings, easily click the
right/left button to browse the
propertys pictures, and see con-
tact details by clicking the email/
phone icons all without leaving
the search result page.
PERKS Lamudi is also available
as an Android app on Google
Play, and theres a new Jordan-
based site as well.
STACKING
THE CONSTRUCTION
INDUSTRY ODDS
IN YOUR FAVOR
Communication, cost control, and careful planning
21 - 23 September 2014,
Dubai World Trade Centre, UAE
OF INVESTMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
250+
110+
1,000s
EXHIBITORS
COUNTRIES
Cityscape Global 2014 is the largest and most influential real
estate investment and development event for emerging
markets globally. Bringing together investors, developers, real
estate professionals and global industry leaders, there is no
better place to nd investment opportunities.
THE PRIME LOCATION FOR
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT
Register now
for FREE entry!
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PAYTABS IS
E-COMMERCE
FOR ALL
T
he regions
e-commerce indus-
try is growing, and
so is the competition in
fnding the best online pay-
ment solution. It has been
a reoccurring theme for
quite some time among en-
trepreneurs in the MENA
region. Abdulaziz Aljouf,
PayTabs Founder, was
inspired afer venturing in
online retail. The problem
was that they had a hard
time accepting various
forms of online payments,
despite having an interest
in the products theyre
selling. Basically, Aljouf de-
cided to go ahead and sort
out his own problem.
This Saudi trep has
lots of experience in the
feld, as Founder and
CEO of Saletab.com and
Founder and ex-Executive
Director at Aracco Holding
Company. His academic
credentials are quite di-
verse too, with a BA in
Islamic Business from
Jamiat Al-Imam Mohamed
Ibn Saud Al-Islamiah, a BS
in Information Technology
from the University of Ne-
braska at Omaha, an MBA
from New York Institute of
Technology, and a degree
in E-Commerce from the
University of Missouri.
Setting up PayTabs wasnt
the simplest task out there
for Aljouf, but they were
able to get the support they
needed. PayTabs is funded
by Saudi Aramcos Waed
program, which funds and
supports entrepreneurs
and SMEs through difer-
ent services. According
to Aljouf, much of the
fnancial burden came from
the security aspect of the
service, saying it obvi-
ously required some cost
to establish something as
unique and as safe as this
system with a dual-layered
fraud protection.
[PayTabs] is a system
to empower all the small
merchants to dream big,
and to help them achieve
their dreams by solving
their biggest problem-
accepting credit cards
online, says Aljouf. Like
many other online payment
solutions, PayTabs works
hard at appealing to SMEs
with two premium options.
The frst is the eCom-
merce API, a plugin that
can be integrated into any
website. The second pre-
mium solution is PayPage,
targeting younger entre-
preneurs and the owners
of the smallest and newest
businesses. Knowing
that many e-merchants
use their social media
platforms to sell their
products, PayPage makes
PayTabs online invoicing
services possible without
the e-merchant needing a
website. This means that
you can basically use your
Instagram or Facebook
page as your webstore.
Aljouf believes that more
e-merchants are resorting
to selling their products
on Instagram, Facebook,
Flickr, and Pinterest, and
having a payment solu-
tion to target these rising
trends will be benefcial.
This is especially relevant
in a booming e-commerce
industry in the Middle
East, where PayTabs have
specifcally mentioned
Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
What makes both solu-
tions safe and appealing?
Security. While boasting
several features of their
security measures on their
website, PayTabs have
notably partnered up with
CyberSource (acquired by
VISA) to monitor money
fraud in transactions. That
said, PayTabs are still
moving forward, building
on what theyve already
started. As they encourage
SMEs to do more business
online, Aljouf told us that
theyre currently working
on providing the means,
a facility for everyone
to build their own online
stores on PayTabs. In the
near future, Aljouf says
that more languages will
be added to their current
services.
A mobile app is already
in the works, and like
other entrepreneurs in the
Middle East e-commerce
industry, he has kept his
eye out on the rise of m-
commerce. The time is
near when people would
be using mobile for almost
everything, he adds, pre-
dicting the dominance of
MENA m-commerce hap-
pening in the near future.
Abdulaziz Aljouf enters the competition for MENAs
optimal online payment solution
START IT UP
WACKY IDEA | WHOS GOT VC | Q&A | STARTUP FINANCE
By Kareem Chehayeb
PayPal MENA
www.paypal-mena.com
PayPal and its popular digital
wallet is making headway across
the Middle East, and the folks
at PayPal MENA have been
keeping an eye out on growing
e-commerce markets, particularly
in the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi
Arabia. With PayPal being popu-
lar internationally, and PayPal
MENA palling up with Qatar
National Bank and Aramex, we
can safely assume that consum-
ers in the GCC will be setting up
their digital wallets very soon.
Watch for the continued rise
of m-commerce in the Middle
East- PayPal MENA is on the ball
there as well. All in all, the online
payment platforms successful
digital wallet looks like it could
be a huge hit in the Middle East,
but only for markets with high
credit and debit card ownership
and usage.
PayFort
www.payfort.com
PayFort is optimistic that their
payment solution will sweep the
Middle East, given the fact they
take into consideration the lack of
credit card ownership in various
markets, notably high-populace
Egypt. Options like PAYatHOME
and PAYatSTORE hope to al-
low merchants to expand its
consumer-base by selling online
without a credit card. PayFort
hopes to make this happen using
alternatives, notably vouchers
that are sent via e-mail or SMS.
The online payment platforms
focus on the region means that
their payment solutions will
beneft different markets of the
region, whether were talking
about Cairo or Dubai. Credit card
ownership regionally isnt high as
yet, so we predict that PayForts
services will also be successful
outside the GCC.
Telr
www.telr.com
Telrs vision goes beyond the
Middle East and North Africa.
Founder Elias Ghanem, who has
work experience with PayPal
MENA, PayPal South East Asia
and India, and Visa Inc, has es-
tablished a Telr hub in Singapore,
in addition to one in Dubai. The
end goal? An effcient payment
gateway that is not only multi-
lingual but also multi-currency,
all while sustaining good cash
fow. Ghanems ideal alterna-
tive to COD transcends borders,
hence including South East Asia
and certain emerging markets in
Africa are in Telrs scope. Telr has
a lot on their plate, but Ghanem
and co. are confdent that theyll
make a positive impact. While
one may suspect that their pres-
ence in the Middle East wont be
as prominent as some of their
competitors, its important to
take note of them; after all, their
vision looks like a sound one in
the long run.
THE RACE TO ANNIHILATE COD
MENA E-COMMERCE OVERVIEW
[paYTaBs] Is a sYsTEmTO
EMPOWER ALL THE SMALL
MERCHANTS TO DREAMBIG, AND
TO HELP THEMACHIEVE THEIR
DrEams BY sOlVInG THEIr
BIGGEST PROBLEM- ACCEPTING
CREDIT CARDS ONLINE
Paytabs CEO
Abdulaziz Aljouf
THIS MEANS THAT
YOu Can BasICallY
usE YOur InsTaGram
OR FACEBOOK PAGE
as YOur wEBsTOrE.
I
n between IM-ing, Face-
booking, liking pictures on
Instagram and retweeting
your friends funny tweets,
though were all getting
busier, technology is still com-
ing up with ways to encourage
us to share more information.
The amount of social networks
popping up left and right are
daunting so how is Feelit, a
social app thats making waves
in KSA, different from other
platforms? Our mission is to
connect people emotionally
and on a new personal level,
says Feelit CEO & co-founder
Mohammad AlQadi, adding
how their focus is on building
an emotional layer that helps
users communicate in a more
honest and sincere way.
For now, their strategy is
to focus on building the best
social experience for the Middle
East market, improve their
product and expand glob-
ally. In terms of penetrating
MEnAs social media user
base, research statistics are in
their favor. Conducted by the
Mohammed Bin Rashid School
of Government, the Arab Social
Media Report presents a break-
down of 8,400,000 Facebook
users in KSA -topping other
countries for having 49% of
the total number of GCC users-
UAE at 28% with 4,800,000
users and Kuwait following
at 8% with 1,460,000 users.
Twitter statistics indicate
that KSA accounts for 40%
of all tweets in the region,
followed by Egypt at 17% and
Kuwait producing 10%. KSAs
demographics indicate huge
success of platforms that
encourage sharing, and Feelit
strives to take advantage of
that with their core value of
innovating how people can
connect emotionally in the
region. nobody knows Saudis
[demographics], better than
Saudis, said AlQadi, pitching
Feelit at Arabnet Riyadh 2013.
The co-founders were fnalists
in the startup competition and
bagged frst place.
The startup certainly had
their fair share of ups and
downs. Feelit initially started
as an app that helps users
manage everyday emotions
by being suggested user-
generated content of images/
videos/music that would help
them deal with whatever feel-
ing they have. After testing
and launching, we realized
[we] werent providing great
value, and therefore havent
gained much momentum. So
we decided to pivot. Their
approach on Feelit 2.0 proved
to be effective and gained
more momentum than their
previous version. Designed to
be more social-oriented, Feelit
is now focused on the mission
of letting users express their
genuine feelings within a
supportive community. With
a timeline to follow user emo-
tional states, people can tag
posts and pictures with their
current feelings in addition to
an explore feature to see the
trending bubbles of emo-
tions- that shrinks depending
on the amount of users having
similar feelings. Feelit became
a place for everyone to express
their feelings, because even if
we have different political and
religious views, we all share
and understand human feel-
ings.
Calling themselves a family,
the startup has four co-found-
ers: CTO and manager of tech-
nical aspects AlBara Hakami is
a software engineering gradu-
ate, Omar AlEisa, studying
software engineering at King
Fahd University of Petroleum
and Minerals (KFUPM), is the
UI/UX designer responsible for
making the app aesthetically
attractive; Mohammad AlQadi,
a former business school stu-
dent who left KFUPM last year,
is the CEO focused on product
management and marketing,
and Dima AlOthaimeen, a
Computer Science grad from
Al-Iman University, is currently
not directly involved with Feelit
but helps with marketing.
Mentorship is also an attribute
to the apps success- Mustafa
Ahmed, being an entrepreneur
himself and co-founder of
Saletab.com, one of the early
KSA ecommerce platforms,
has given them valuable
advice [that] has always come
in handy. Though the devel-
opment stage was effcient
and the testing stage was
I
inclined towards usability and
design, AlQadi discussed the
struggle to raise interest from
investors in the KSA market;
Feelit is self-funded by the co-
founders. Saudi tech startups
have a hard time fnding the
right investors, because the
infrastructure is still not mature
enough to support them. The
venture capital barely exists, so
youd have to look for sophisti-
cated angels that can add value
to your startup, and theyre not
easy to fnd.
In terms of their business mod-
el, Feelit functions on freemium
model with in-app purchases
(IAP). A popular and proven
method of app monetization,
41% of global revenue in 2013
was generated from Asia, while
north America generated 31%
and Europe brought 23% (Disti-
mo). Besides IAP, they are also
building a subscription model
consisting of stickers and vir-
tual goods and investigating
additional business models that
can go beyond the app itself.
Currently boasting a user base
of 60,000 users, Feelit hasnt
spent anything on marketing
yet, all thanks to focusing
our energies on social media
channels and work[ing] on
sparking a buzz that generated
more sign-ups. It didnt hurt
that they had help from Twitter
infuencers such as Firas Buqna
(@FMB4), Manal AlSharif (@
manal_alsharif), and Essam
AlZamil (@essamz). Female In-
stagrammers also had a hand in
helping Feelit spread by posting
pictures of Feelit and becoming
their most effective channel,
seeing as it was directed to
their target market of young
females. Were really thankful
for their support and help,
says AlQadi mentioning other
notable Instagram infuenc-
ers who helped them out like
Shomowkh AlShimmari
(@shomowkh), Arwa Al-Turki
(@arwahomaidan), Loujain
Hathloul (@loujainhathloul),
and Abeer Alwgait
(@abeeralwgait). Whether or
not this platform is for you, this
generations need for overshar-
ing and the desire for genuine
self-expression might just make
Feelit the new in thing.
After launching in late Sep-
tember 2013, releasing Feelit
2.0 and even getting feedback
from Silicon Valley last year,
the co-founders are currently
raising for their seed round, and
conducting talks with investors
to carry out their growth plans.
In the works is a new version
with features that will ignite
[their] viral growth engine, plus
they will be refning current
features and improve usability.
Their other plans include going
forward with subscription, and
exploring new revenue models.
Besides working on gaining
more ground in the MEnA
region market, theyre also
building global-friendly features
such as location-based content.
KSA SOCIAL NETWORKING APP FEELIT WANTS TO HELP YOU EXPRESS YOURSELF
I JUST WANNA
FEEL REAL LOVE
START IT UP
DESIGNED TO BE MORE
SOCIAL-ORIENTED, FEELIT
IS NOWFOCUSED ON
THE MISSION OF LETTING
USERS EXPRESS THEIR
GENUINE FEELINGS WITHIN A
suppOrTIVE COmmunITY.
AFTER LAUNCHING IN LATE
SEPTEMBER 2013, RELEASING
FEELIT 2.0 AND EVEN GETTING
FEEDBACK FROMSILICON
VallEY lasT YEar, THE CO-
fOunDErs arE CurrEnTlY
RAISING FOR THEIR SEED ROUND,
AND CONDUCTING TALKS WITH
InVEsTOrs TO CarrY OuT THEIr
GROWTH PLANS.
By Pamella de Leon
M
ore than
two gener-
ations ago,
the venture
capital
community VCs, busi-
ness angels, incubators,
and others convinced
the entrepreneurial world
that writing business
plans and raising venture
capital constituted the
twin centerpieces of
entrepreneurial endeavor.
They did so for good
reasons: the sometimes
astonishing returns
theyve delivered to
their investors, and the
incredibly large and valu-
able companies that their
ecosystem has created. But
the vast majority of fast
growing companies never
take any venture capital.
Consider Claus Mose-
holm, co-founder of
GoViral, a Danish company
created in 2003 to harness
the then-emerging power of
the internet to deliver ad-
vertisers video content in
viral fashion, saw no need
for external investment.
Funding his companys
steady growth with the
proceeds of one successful
viral video campaign afer
another, Moseholm and his
partners built GoViral into
a leading digital platform
to host and distribute such
content. In 2011, GoViral
was sold for US$97 million,
having never taken a single
krone or dollar of invest-
ment capital. The business
had been funded and grown
entirely by its customers
cash.
WHY RAISING EARLY VC
IS A BAD IDEA
Too many of todays entre-
preneurs have come to the
belief that the best way to
start and grow a thriving
business is to come up
with a great idea, write a
great business plan, raise
capital from angels or VCs,
fawlessly execute the plan,
and (Voila!) get rich! But
it hardly ever happens this
way, and the vast majority
of successful businesses
dont ever raise venture
capital. Instead, at least at
the outset, and sometimes
for the entire journey, they
get the cash they need, just
as Moseholm did, from
their customers.
MONEY
ASK THE MONEY GUY | VC VIEWPOINT | STARTUP FINANCE | YOUR MONEY
ITS TIME
TO REEVALUATE
THE FACTS
Lifecycle stages Key Drawbacks Details
THE DRAWBACKS OF ATTEMPTING TO RAISE CAPITAL TOO EARLY
RAISING FUNDING
BUILDING
THE BUSINESS
OUTCOMES
A distraction
Advice and support
The stake you and your team
get to keep
Bad odds
Pitching vs. proving merit
The term sheet giveth; the
shareholders agreement taketh
away
Raising capital often requires full-time concentration, but so does
starting an entrepreneurial business. One or the other will suffer
when investment capital is sought. Why not raise money later
when the business is less fragile?
Just how good is the value-added advice and support that
investors provide?
The further you progress in developing your business before you
raise funding, the lower the risk, as early uncertainties become
more certain. Less risk translates into a higher valuation and a
higher stake for the founding team.
VC today is an all-or-nothing game. Is that the game
you want to play?
Nascent entrepreneurial ideas, however promising, always raise
numerous questions. Proving the merit of your idea (to yourself
and to others), based on accumulated evidence and customer
traction, is much more convincing than using your own wisdom
and charmto pitch its merit.
The terms and conditions attached to venture capital are (for
good reason) somewhat onerous, as investors seek to protect
themselves fromdownside risk. The further along the path, the
less onerous the terms.
They dont do so because
its easier, though. Its not.
They do it in large part
because of the unwelcome
drawbacks entailed in rais-
ing capital too early.
But is there an alternative?
Yes, fve of them!
What do Michael Dell,
Bill Gates, and Mel and
Patricia Ziegler have in
common? Each of them,
like Moseholm, started
and grew their companies
largely with their custom-
ers funds. Here are the fve
customer-funded models
through which they and
many others have done it:
> Matchmaker models (for
example, the U.S. compa-
nies Airbnb and DogVacay)
> Pay-in-advance models
(the USAs Threadless,
Indias Via and Loot)
> Subscription models (In-
dias TutorVista, the USAs
H.Bloom)
> Scarcity models (Spains
Zara, Frances vente-privee,
the USAs Gilt Groupe)
> Service-to-product mod-
els (Denmarks GoViral,
Puerto Ricos Rock Solid
Technologies).
In fact, for most suc-
cessful companies today
and always whether fast-
growing or otherwise, the
early funding comes from a
much more agreeable and
hospitable source, their
customers. Your funding
can too.
THE WAY FORWARD
Thus far, Ive focused
largely on the drawbacks of
taking early VC, but there
are material benefts to not
doing so, too. Perhaps the
most important of these to
an aspiring entrepreneur is
freedom. According to Hus-
sein Kanji, founding part-
ner of Hoxton Ventures, I
wish more entrepreneurs
By John Mullins
SECOND
THOUGHTS
ON VENTURE
CAPITAL
THE VasT majOrITY
OF SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESSES DONT
EVER RAISE VENTURE
CAPITAL.
puTTInG YOur
CUSTOMERS AT THE
fOrEfrOnT Of YOur
THInkInG Can OnlY
paY DIVIDEnDs.
understood the signifcance
and freedom that cash
generation can bring to
young, fedging businesses.
It puts an entrepreneur
in the drivers seat. As a
venture capitalist, I dream
of entrepreneurs that are
able to independently
validate their product or
service with the market, lay
down early traction and are
constrained only by capital
to take their companies to
the next level.
A second beneft is
the consequence of
directing your attention to
customers, rather than to
investors. In the words of
The Darden Schools Saras
Sarasvathy, Treat your
frst customers as your
partners they are your
earliest investors and your
best salespeople. Putting
your customers at the
forefront of your thinking
can only pay dividends.
Third, and importantly,
with the cost of building
many kinds of businesses
including sofware and
Internet businesses that are
on so many entrepreneurial
agendas today lower today
than ever, you may not
need very much cash your
customers cash to cover
your costs. One or more of
the fve customer-funded
models may work for you.
Whether youre an
aspiring entrepreneur
lacking the startup capital
you need, an early-stage
entrepreneur trying to get
your cash-starved venture
into take-of mode, a
corporate leader seeking
to grow an established
company, or an angel
investor, mentor, or
business accelerator or
incubator professional who
supports high-potential
entrepreneurial ventures, a
customer-funded approach
ofers the most sure-footed
path to starting, fnancing,
or growing your business
or those you support. In
the words of Shanghais
entrepreneur and angel
investor Bernard Auyang,
The customer is not just
king, he can be your VC
too!
MONEY
ASK THE MONEY GUY | VC VIEWPOINT | STARTUP FINANCE | YOUR MONEY
John Mullins is Associate
Professor of Management
Practice in Marketing and
Entrepreneurship at London
Business School. His latest
book is The Customer-Funded
Business: Start, Finance, or
Grow Your Company with
Your Customers Cash (Wiley,
August 2014), from which
this article has been adapted.
YOu maY nOT nEED
VErY muCH CasH YOur
CUSTOMERS CASH TO
COVEr YOur COsTs. OnE
OR MORE OF THE FIVE
CUSTOMER-FUNDED MODELS
maY wOrk fOr YOu
Logo 1 - white
Logo 2 - black
F
or the foreseeable future,
cloud computing is the best
solution for both SMEs and
larger-scale business models.
du Chief Commercial Offcer
Fahad Al Hassawi discusses
your options, who is opting for
hybrid public-private, and why
a local cloud service is better
than an overseas option.
Whats the current state of cloud
computing? Where do you think
it will go?
Cloud is hot right now, as
increasingly more companies
recognize the benefts and
sustainability cloud-based ser-
vices offer. The next decade of
cloud computing promises new
ways of collaborating anywhere
and everywhere using mobile
devices, so we can expect that
the current uptake of cloud
services will only continue to
grow. Worldwide, the cloud
computing market will grow at
36% compound annual growth
rate (CAGR), to reach a market
value of US$19.5 billion by
2016. Locally, the UAE market
CAGR will grow by 22%, to be
worth AED 1.6 billion by 2019.
Why opt for cloud services?
Increasing digitization means
that more companies are tak-
ing advantage of the cloud, by
shifting their applications there
from traditional on-premises
business models. There are
numerous benefts to be reaped
from the cloud. Decision-mak-
ers in enterprises of all sizes
are being pressed to increase
effciency while reducing ICT
costs, making cloud services
an ideal option. Cloud services
remove the costs of having
ICT installations on-premises
by employing the capabilities
of a professional provider, al-
lowing companies to leverage
investments made in skills,
technology and resources at
a fraction of the price. Cloud
has fve main characteristics
that businesses can beneft
from: on-demand self-service;
ubiquitous network access;
location independent resource
pooling; rapid elasticity, and
Pay Per Use models. These
can fall into three categories,
which customers can choose
from to best suit their needs.
They are Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS), which provides
data-centre capacity, process-
ing resources and storage;
Platform as a Service (PaaS),
offering an environment for the
development and hosting of
applications, and Software as a
Service (SaaS), which provides
software services hosted from
the cloud. The UAE market has
three main models of cloud
computing that can be used
with each of the above service
categories. These are private,
used exclusively by one orga-
nization and can be managed
either by the organization or by
a third party, either on- or off-
premises services; public, which
is available to the general public
or to a large industry group,
owned by an organization sell-
ing cloud computing such as
Apple or Google, and, thirdly,
there is the hybrid cloud, which
combines the frst two in order
to serve both internal and ex-
ternal customers. This is what
the majority of organizations
fnd themselves in.
How will SMEs benet fromdus
cloud services?
We offer some incredible
solutions to our enterprise
customers, no matter what
size their business is. By using
cloud services that are hosted
locally, customers can experi-
ence a faster response than
they would from an overseas
host, for starters. Additionally,
data stored in the cloud stays
in the country, which could be
an organizational or regulatory
compliance matter. Our Man-
aged Services team works on
the principle of easy to choose,
easy to use for the UAEs
SMEs, with packages designed
that are user-friendly and easily
customizable without requiring
any in-depth IT knowledge. For
example, Managed DDoS Pro-
tect is delivered from the cloud
without having the need for any
on-premises hardware or soft-
ware, which makes it very easy
to protect the service without
any changes to our customers
network. Both SMEs and large
enterprises use cloud services,
though they have different
needs that have to be satisfed.
Typically, SMEs will use the
public cloud model mentioned
earlier, while large enterprises
tend to use the public or hybrid
cloud model. Were aware of
the varied needs of the UAEs
businesses, and our experts can
easily advise the best solution
to best meet all of a companys
requirements.
O
ver the past six months I
have written about vari-
ous experiences as an
entrepreneur during my jour-
ney as Brndstr Inc.s CEO and
Founder. With the recent open-
ing of our frst international
operations in Istanbul, together
with a solid number of clients
under our wing now, I wanted
to discuss my experience on
what it takes to actually pitch.
From raising your seed to clos-
ing a deal, the wonderful world
of pitching is the backbone to
success. For those of you who
watch Dragons Den or are
familiar with Y Combinator
and 500 Startups, being able
to deliver your idea is the door
to startup success.
1. SIMPLICITY The number one
rule is to keep it simple. There
is something called the KISS
efect: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
Now I am not calling anyone
stupid, these four magical let-
ters should be written in front
of you when composing any
pitch. I have previously spoken
about best practices for raising
money and a simple pitch deck
will always win. Some of to-
days largest companies raised
their frst money on just six
slides. By keeping everything
simple and to the point, youll
maintain audience interest
and focus on the areas that
matter. Keep in mind that you
may have lived and visualized
this for many months and what
may seem obvious to you is not
always obvious to an external
audience. This will be the frst
time a person has met you and
heard about what you have to
ofer, so its worth reminding
everyone that frst impressions
count. Make your frst impres-
sion one to remember.
2. REHEARSE My second tip
follows my frst suggestion. Be-
fore going to your meeting with
potential investors or clients,
practice on someone you know
who doesnt have a clue what
you are doing business-wise.
Family and friends are good for
this as they will be honest, and
there is the additional beneft
of the fact that they want you
to do well. Keep a couple of
friends in the dark when start-
ing a new project, and test your
pitch methodology on them.
3. ICEBREAKER In order to
make a good impression go that
extra mile. Before every meet-
ing, I pen a welcome note to
the person by hand- its a per-
sonalized touch that reinforces
the idea that I am grateful for
their time, and that I take my
professional relationships seri-
ously. To lighten things up and
pre-promo my idea, I include
some groovy Brndstr stickers
and swag with the note. Break-
ing the ice with your audiences
can be a simple personalized
gesture that will go a long way
both to make your pitch a
memorable one, and to demon-
strate your ingenuity.
4. PURPOSE Its extremely
important to know who you are
meeting with, and understand
why you are there. Whether
its to raise money, close a
deal or open a new ofce, the
bottom line is always the same.
You need to get the person to
understand what you are of-
fering and jump on board your
ship- this requires background
knowledge on your audience.
Research the people, compa-
nies, countries or anything else
you believe might be relevant
to this meeting. Standing in
front of someone armed with
solid facts and knowledge puts
you in a stronger position and
helps you ooze confdence. If
you treat it as a frst date you
cant go wrong- afer all you are
hoping to build a relationship
and future together.
5. CARE My fnal point is
about taking pride in your
appearance and in your presen-
tation. There is a saying, For
business be 10 minutes early,
and for pleasure be 10 minutes
late. (The latter is to look cool,
I guess.) Make sure you know
where you are going, and give
yourself time to channel calm
and focus before going to pitch.
Prepare your material well and
if you are using a laptop have
all the right connectors- a little
extra foresight goes a long way.
I always take a printed copy,
but present it at the end of the
meeting. The reason for this is
that you dont want to give the
details away too soon.
As always I can only ofer ad-
vice and commentary based on
my personal experience. If you
dont make a successful frst
pitch or even third, keep try-
ing! Today, Im the CEO of my
own company and I have raised
a large amount of seed fund-
ing, but Ive made mistakes
along the way. As long as these
mistakes are used as learning
opportunities, youll improve
each time. Good luck at your
next pitch, treps. Ill see you
next edition!
Your SME has its head
in the clouds
du talks IT business solutions
Simon Hudson is the CEO and
Founder of Brndstr.com.
Having recently closed a large
funding round, Hudson is well
versed with the challenges ahead
of any startup. Prior to becoming
an entrepreneur, Hudson worked
as Marketing Director for Trump
Towers in Miami and more recently
as a senior fgure at Groupon
Middle East. Over the past two
years he has been busy helping to
grow, build and develop the Dubai
startup circuit. As the Founder of
ThinkTank.ae, ex-Chapter Director
for Startupgrind.com, moderator
of the previous Young Arab
Leader event, and a coach at this
years Dubai Startup Weekend,
in addition to contributing the
monthly entrepreneur column for
newspaper 7days UAE, Hudson
is well positioned to offer help
and advice to any budding
entrepreneur.
START IT UP
By Simon Hudson
Five steps to startup pitching like a pro
SIGNED, SEALED,
DELIVERED
HOW DOES THE MYDUBAI
PROGRAM WORK?
Im a follower of the latest
technologies and inventions
around IT and Telecommunica-
tion Services and MyDubai
idea was a refection of Apple
technology called iBeacon. This
technology uses Bluetooth
signals to trigger actions on
your smartphone. Apple used
this technology in their stores
to send notifcations to their
customers, and I took the
concept and adapted it with
current vision of Dubai as a
Smart City. I did this to produce
value for shop owners and end
customers. We install small
Bluetooth transmitters near the
item in the shop that you want
to promote. The shop owner
can enter a portal and edit the
template with the information
they want [to convey] like the
item name, description, photos,
and price. When the customer
enters the shop -and has al-
ready installed the MyDubai
application- and comes near the
item by pre-defned distance
and pre-determined time, the
phone will trigger the Bluetooth
signal. Accordingly it will send
the customer a notifcation to
his device, and when the user
opens up the notifcation, they
will be able to see the template
which was confgured by the
shop owner in his phone. He
then can like it, rate it, share it
with his friends via social ap-
plications like Facebook, Twitter,
and Google+.
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE
BIGGEST CHALLENGE FACING
EMIRATI ENTREPRENEURS?
I think the UAE government
has made a big effort to reduce
the complexity of starting a
business, and we see that very
clearly with the amount of
foreign establishments started
[here] or that have regional
offces in the UAE. Emiratis
should understand how to
play a role in the development
of their country and beneft
from the growth that is hap-
pening, and all the potential
that is coming with initiatives
by the government like Smart
Government, Dubai Smart City,
and Expo 2020. The main and
biggest challenge for Emiratis
is the risk associated with busi-
ness from the fnancial aspects.
Due to this, taking the required
steps to evaluate the business
and be part of many SMEs and
startup programs such as Tejar
Dubai is going to reduce that
risk, and will ensure the best
ROI for them.
WHAT PROCESS DID YOU
GO THROUGH WITH TEJAR
DUBAI?
The process was really simple.
All I needed was to apply for
the program from the website
and present the business idea
and the case study with the
support of the expert team who
helped me get this done. Tejar
Dubai facilitated a lot of sup-
port starting from the ability to
work with me on the business
case and setting up the busi-
ness strategy, access to useful
workshops, establishment
of the business frm, and the
fnancial support needed. Their
role was important as an entre-
preneur because of their experi-
ence in the market and view
on the potential success of any
business. My advice for anyone
with a new or smart idea that
has potential is to seek support
from Tejar Dubai, and evaluate
his idea with them to ensure
the best outcomes for his
business and future growth.
Considering the fact of iBeacon
being new technology, and
the raise of adaptation of this
technology in a lot of new appli-
cations, I required support from
an entity like Tejar Dubai with
the business case analysis, and
they guided me with the best
approach to enter the market.
E
mirati entrepreneur Rashid Alahmedi took the popular
MyDubai concept and ran with it. His idea brings togeth-
er a lesser-utilized Bluetooth technology, and the concept
of interactive, user-targeted smartphone shopping. Alahmedi
is an Information Technology graduate of UAE University who
followed up with a Masters in Quality Management from the
University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) that hes since put
to work on his own entrepreneurial endeavor. His UAE-based
enterprise has ambitious plans;
the trep sees his MyDubai
Progam as not only a project for
proft, but also as doing his part
to contribute to the countrys
larger goals. We would like to
take the shopping experience to
the next level, and we want to
contribute to the vision of H.H
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid
Al Maktoum to turn Dubai into
a Smart City. MyDubai Program
is the frst step on our roadmap
to build added value services,
and help shop owners to set their strategies by capturing their
users behaviors. It ofers their customers new dimensions to
the way they shop using smartphones while they are in-store
or even at home. Currently in the last stage of development,
Alahmedi says that theyre in the midst of putting the fnishing
touches on the programs design, app sections and work fow.
We do have a beta version that demonstrates the function of
the application for any shop owner who needs to understand
or feel the experience. It shows what the application will do so
that they can join our program. We also welcome any shop or
brand owners who would like us to build something dedicated
for them. Having registered his company, the next step is his
corporate website development (www.signif.solutions), followed
by the app launch. Alahmedis goals also factor in Emiratization,
and he believes that there is no limit to what needs to be done:
I do believe that UAE nationals have huge potential. We do have
people with great skillsets to lead future businesses, and build
new startups that can leave a global footprint, he says. I wish
that my business expands in the future, and that I have the ca-
pacity to host UAE talented sofware developers and IT experts.
I think it is everyones duty to help bring out the potential of
young talents, and to keep them on the right track.
Tejar Dubai is a development
program committed to nurturing
potential UAE nationals into
becoming entrepreneurs. Launched
last year under the patronage of
H.H. Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed
bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman
of Dubai Culture and Arts
Authority, the program identifes,
develops, and mentors promising
UAE nationals to expedite the
growth of an embryonic business
idea and advance it to the point
of being ready for immediate
implementation.
www.tejardubai.ae
@TejarDubai TejarDubai
START IT UP
ITS YOUR
DUBAI
AND HER
DUBAI AND
HIS DUBAI
EMIRATI TREP RASHID ALAHMEDI WANTS TO TAILOR YOUR RETAIL EXPERIENCE
CERTIFIED GRADUATE
SPONSORED BY DUBAI CHAMBER IN
THE SPIRIT OF FACILITATING EMIRATI
ACHIEVEMENT VIA ENTREPRENEURSHIP
TREP TALK Q+A
APPLE USED THIS
TECHnOlOGY In THEIr
STORES TO SEND
NOTIFICATIONS TO
THEIR CUSTOMERS, AND
I TOOK THE CONCEPT
AND ADAPTED IT WITH
CURRENT VISION OF
DuBaI as a smarT CITY.
mYDuBaI IDEa was
A REFLECTION OF
applE TECHnOlOGY
CALLED IBEACON. THIS
TECHnOlOGY usEs
BLUETOOTH SIGNALS TO
TRIGGER ACTIONS ON
YOur smarTpHOnE.
AUGUST 2014 ENTREPRENEUR 89
S
tarted in 2006, the
Cartier Womens
Initiative Awards
aim to identify, support and
encourage resourceful ideas
by women treps globally.
Developed by Cartier, the
Womens Forum, McKinsey
& Company and INSEAD, so
far theyve helped over 120
potential female business-
people and recognized 38
Laureates. Three promising
women from each region are
nominated, and go through
two rounds that include
mentorship and a presenta-
tion of their respective busi-
ness plans for jury evalua-
tion. One Laureate is chosen
per region and receives
US$20,000 of funding, one
year of coaching, networking
opportunities and media
exposure. Who are the three
women representing the
MENA region this year?
Hailing from UAE is May
Habib, Founder and CEO
of Qodoba, a tech company
using proprietary sofware
to enhance localization
and translation. With lack
of quality Arabic content
online, the company has
shaken up the overlooked
industry, raising $1.5m in
Series A funding. Next up is
Mariam Hazem, Co-Founder
of Reform Studio, which
designs high-quality fashion
products out of plastic
bags. Motivated by the Arab
Spring revolution during
her third year as a design
student, by upcycling the
bags to new products, they
are also reviving traditional
Egyptian craf while reduc-
ing waste. The third entre-
preneur in the running is
Rama Kayyali Jardaneh, who
with her business partner
Lamia Tabaa, used their
backgrounds in TV produc-
tion and documentary flm-
making to make an Arabic-
language childrens flm The
Animals Around Us.
With a promising audience
waiting for similar content,
and a lack of engaging Arabic
language content for chil-
dren, Little Thinking Minds
was started, ofering varied
content and an alternative
educational experience for
kids. Last year, the Laureate
for MENA was Sima Najjar
who founded Ekeif.com in
Jordan, a website producing
how-to videos for the Arab
speaker. The ofcial an-
nouncement of the six suc-
cessful Laureates will take
place on October 16th. Were
rooting for you, ladies!
-by Pamella de Leon
Entrepreneur 10GB Data - 273x203-E.indd 1 13/08/2014 12:58
The three women representing MEnA at
the Cartier Womens Initiative Awards 2014
ON THE UP AND UP
Stanford University profes-
sor Maryam Mirzakhani has
become the frst woman to nab
the prestigious Fields Medal in
mathematics since its establish-
ment in 1936, an award thats
considered to be the Nobel
Prize of mathematics. Its also
a refection of the desperate
state of gender inequality,
despite the slowly improving
odds in academics departments
globally. The Iranian-born
mathematician is recognized for
her sophisticated and highly
original contributions in ge-
ometry and dynamical systems,
particularly in understanding
the symmetry of curved sur-
faces, including spheres and
hyperbolic objects. (Stanford
News). The Universitys press
department explained that
although her work is regarded
as pure math and theoretical, it
has implications for physics and
quantum feld theory. Her work
is considered original for how
she puts together disparate
pieces, according to a fellow
Stanford professor who has col-
laborated with Mirzakhani in the
past. As much celebration and
recognition that should follow
the prestigious feat, ladies its
a nudge to achieve more frsts.
Time to kick it up a notch!
BAZINGA!
Iranian Maryam
Mirzakhani rst woman
awarded the Fields
Medal for mathematics
INNOVATORS
A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF EXTRAORDINARY
INDIVIDUAL HOTELS. ENRICHED WITH THE CHARACTER
OF LOCAL CULTURE. INSPIRED BY THE LIFESTYLE
OF THE MODERN LUXURY TRAVELLER.
SYMPHONY STYLE HOTEL, KUWAIT
DISCOVER MORE LUXURY INDIVIDUAL HOTELS AT
QUORVUSCOLLECTION.COM
I NDI VI DUAL
LUXURY
20172 KUWAIT ENTREPRENEUR_5 AW.indd 1 16/05/2014 11:40

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